Surprises
by herpaderpproductions
Summary: After getting work in the US, Kyoko has to re-learn how to be an actress. With the pressure of working in the US and paparazzi becoming interested in her relationship with Ren, how will she respond? Based on A Life in Headlines Ch.4; M for occasional mature themes and jokes.
1. Prologue: Surprising Feelings

**Surprises**

 **A/N:** I got requests for a Ren/Kyoko getting together story. I didn't really want to write one, but I guess I got inspiration. They'll already (technically) be together, and Kyoko will already know he's Kuon if only because I feel like I couldn't write that part out well. To remedy that, I've written a prologue covering it quickly. Otherwise this will start later(ish).

This goes along with A Life in Headlines chapter 4(?), so it will elaborate on Kyoko and Ren's side of those headlines.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Prologue: Surprising Feelings**

Kuon was nervous at the now annual Grateful Party. He had told Kyoko about his identity only a few months before. Slowly he had let more details of his past come to light, but he had not told her about his feelings for her. Even after accepting his past through disclosing it to Kyoko, he couldn't see himself worthy of her. Tonight he would be disclosing that to her. While she originally felt betrayed by his admission, they repaired the damage to their friendship with his admissions about his past. Kyoko would now comfort him and help him work through his issues, though he was worried she was ignoring some of hers.

He was hidden away in a lavish back room of Lory's estate, waiting for Lory to bring her back to see him. Because he was wearing a wig that mimicked his natural hair so he could be Kyoko's fairy prince for her birthday he did not want to go to the party. He would make a late appearance after taking the wig off. He hoped she wasn't too hurt by his decision not to show up for the whole party.

In the main hall, Kyoko was bustling around the party greeting her guests and checking on food. As was typically the case, Kyoko was stressed but happy. She thrived on being busy, and that was even more the case when she was making those around her happy. An hour before midnight, after celebrating Maria's birthday so she could go to bed, Sebastian dragged Kyoko into a room. She felt almost annoyed to be taken away from her work, so she protested Sebastian's actions, but couldn't hold off the excitement and nervousness that came with a potential surprise. Kanae and Chiori were content in helping to put Maria to bed outside of the hall and did not see their friend's protests. They had no worries she would be harmed anyways.

Once Kyoko was dragged into the lavish side room by Sebastian Jelly appeared out of the woodwork to strip her working clothes off (much to Kyoko's protests). She could handle being taken away from her work due to her jitters, but being forced to stop her duties so she could be waited on was near unacceptable. Jelly carefully re-did her hair and make-up before putting Kyoko into a dress that would make Kyoko look like a perfect princess. Kyoko couldn't help feeling a bit happier now that she had seen the results of Jelly's work. Jelly appraised her work, and once she was pleased with it managed to get Kyoko down to the room in which Kuon was waiting by midnight. She left Kyoko alone at the door so she could return to the party. Jelly was nervous to see what would happen: if this went well, her beloved would be happy; if it didn't, she would face his brooding for the next month. That certainly didn't make her happy.

Kyoko looked around in confusion before knocking at the door slowly. Suddenly she was scared about what awaited her on the other side. If the fuss hadn't been to wait on her hand and foot, what could it be for?

Kuon's heart sped up as his masculine voice called for her to come in. The man sat down on one of Lory's large chairs in a perfect and controlled posture to cover any nerves he had. The door slowly opened to reveal Kyoko. She looked beautiful in the green dress he had picked out for her, and Jelly had done her make-up in just the right way. If he hadn't known why he'd loved her before, this reminded him and warmed his heart. Still, that didn't stop the nervousness that came with the potential to lose her with his confession.

"C- Corn!" She squealed happily upon seeing him.

"Happy Birthday, Mogami-san," he greeted her with a warm smile. To his surprise, she walked over to hug him. "I'm sorry I wasn't at the party. I had something more important to attend to."

Kyoko pulled back with a sad look in her eyes and backed away before turning to the door. He had something – or someone – more important than her. Was it the high school girl he told Bo about? She felt like shrinking up and crawling her way back to the party and out the kitchen door never to be seen again. Her foot moved a step backwards.

Kuon knew he had messed up, so he began to backtrack. He didn't want to lose her. "I needed to get ready to see you tonight. It was important to me to make you feel like a princess tonight," he explained slowly. To make sure she understood he carefully recited every new sentence in his head before speaking it. "I couldn't be at the party to make sure that would happen."

"Me? Why me?" Kyoko turned and asked him. She couldn't believe those words - not with his words to Bo. He was a playboy, anyways, she concluded. He could lie easily to girls. "Don't you have another girl you should be spending Christmas with?"

"Who else could it be but you?" He asked in reply. If he hadn't known how convoluted Kyoko's logic could get, he would have been much more confused. That didn't mean her logic hurt him any less.

"That… that high school girl." She turned away once again. Somehow she felt shame bubble to the surface, perhaps because she was beginning to realize he really did love her. Of course, Ren figured it was more likely that she felt she was imposing herself on his personal life.

"What high school girl?" He asked. How convoluted could her logic get?

"The one you told Bo about."

"Mogami-san – Kyoko. Listen!" She was shocked to hear him call her by her first name; he was shocked to hear that she knew about his crush. Was she Bo? "The high school girl is you. It's always been you. Ever since I met you at the river in Kyoto, it's been you. Kyoko, I love you." He got up to grab her hand, hoping it would compel her to stay. He couldn't help but doubt she would. She had wormed herself out of clearer situations before.

"That's impossible. You're too good for me! You're Japan's top actor," she whispered. At this point she was too conflicted to say this in a loud, confident voice. Was it possible he did love her after all?

"It doesn't matter who I am," Kuon said, "I will still love you more than anyone." Kyoko began to cry. Out of relief or happiness she didn't know. Kuon didn't either, so he hugged her, figuring it would be the best reaction to any explanation. "Even if I'm not good enough for you," he added quietly. That always weighed on his mind when talking to Kyoko - the thought of his past hurting her.

Kyoko looked up at him, confused. She thought he had forgiven himself, that he knew she would still be his friend.

"After what happened to Rick… I don't deserve happiness. I took his away. I took Tina's away," he said. While he could accept Kyoko's bad logic; he ignored his own. Perhaps that was his mistake, but one he wasn't ready to fix.

"He would want you to be happy. It's not your fault," Kyoko said, comforting him. She had no idea how to make him feel better, so she let her instincts kick in. "I love you too," she confessed with a massive blush on her face. Instant regret filled her at that admission. Kuon squeezed her even tighter and began to cry along with her, but he knew why: this was the most at home he had felt in some time, here with Kyoko. They stood like that, content to be in each other's arms, until a knock at the door pulled them out of their spell.

"If you two aren't too busy with each other," Lory's voice boomed through the door, "Kyoko's wanted in the hall for her birthday celebration." Kyoko moved to open the door as Kuon took his wig off to put on a side table. They knew instinctively if they waited too long that Lory would assume the worst and announce to the whole world that they were not only dating, but also 'exploring the true depths of their love.' Kuon knew it would also come with some conversation with Lory about not getting Kyoko pregnant. He was the dirty one, so he would be the only one Lory would worry about in that respect. He watched as Lory looked around the room for any evidence of a romantic encounter between Kuon and Kyoko. He felt a slight victory when Lory found nothing and began to stroll of dejectedly. Still he felt the need to remind Ren on his way out that there were condoms in his old room. A glare from an angry (and only slightly humiliated) Kuon sent Lory striding ahead of them to the hall, while the couple took their time savoring their place out of the spotlight.

* * *

Ren made sure to spend another private moment on a balcony with Kyoko before she left the party with her landlords. This year he had gotten her a custom set of earrings and a necklace from his mother's jeweler. The heartache he felt from her departure was soon overshadowed by his excitement to spend the year, and hopefully the rest of his life, at his side.

They also made sure to spend dinners together every Tuesday. Most weeks, Kyoko would come to cook for him, but sometimes he would take her out for a fancy dinner. Kisses were few and far between. Certainly Kuon had wanted more, but he was afraid to scare Kyoko away by doing anything too mature. Any kisses they did have were initiated by Kyoko. They found a way to be happy despite their schedules, but neither was prepared for the major shake-up about to come.

* * *

 **A/N:** So that's my derpy them getting together prologue stuff. Next will be more closely linked to ALiH Chapter 4.


	2. Surprising Opportunities

**A/N:** So, this is where this fanfic really begins. Not much else to say here.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Surprising Opportunities**

Kyoko was pleasantly surprised that Ren was on the same flight as her to LA, but was slightly less pleased when he was immediately whisked off to some meeting. His US passport got him through customs faster, so she wasn't even able to see him to the door. She knew he wasn't here to see his parents, but was instead here for some modeling work, but she still wanted him to see them. It had always been her secret desire to see them reunited. It would be like the reunion between a long-lost prince and the king and queen! Shortly after he left the king in her mind, Kuu, showed up at the baggage claim to pick her up. Despite his sunglasses and hat, there were a few photographers waiting to see their reunion, so she reluctantly saved her hug for when they got to the Hizuri's mansion. Being an actress helped her to reserve her excitement for a less public time.

After treating her to a homemade dinner they showed her to the room she would be staying in: Kuon's old room. Kyoko knew they had many guest rooms in the house she thought was a palace, so she was honored that they would put her in such an important room. Of course, there was the possibility Kuu put her in there because he had heard from Lory that she was dating Kuon. She wouldn't put it past them. Nevertheless, she felt like family. The warm welcome filled her with a sense of home even though she was in a house she had never seen before in a foreign country she had never visited. The smell of the fresh sheets beneath her seemed to drag her in, lulling her to sleep.

Jetlag sapped her energy, so she put off any exploration of the room until the next day. She took a quick shower, put on her pajamas, and fell asleep in Kuon's big fluffy bed. She could almost imagine lying next to Kuon in it. Almost.

* * *

The day after she arrived, she was only kept from feeling abandoned by the assurances of the Hizuris. She knew they had work they couldn't get out of, but her past had made her weary of excuses, particularly those involving work. Kuu had gone to a meeting for an upcoming movie and Julie had a meeting in the morning, so they had let her sleep the jetlag off until she awoke around noon. When Kyoko was finally awake and dressed, she was greeted by Julie downstairs. The sight provided relief: even if she knew they wouldn't abandon her, visual confirmation ended the thoughts in her head.

Because she lacked any cooking ability, Julie had brought Kyoko a salad for lunch. Kyoko thanked Julie for the gesture, but secretly regretted that she couldn't taste her new mother's cooking. Even if it was bad, which Kyoko didn't think could be possible coming from a fairy queen like Julie, it would be like home. Julie tried to make up for it over the meal as they talked about things mothers and daughters should talk about. At first, Kyoko was unsettled because she was so unused to having a real mother-figure. She had no idea what to say or how much to tell Julie. As the conversation went on, Kyoko became more relaxed and began to tell Julie more. Before she knew it, she had begun to open up to Julie, at which point Julie threw a curve ball at her.

"Kyoko, would you like to come to work with me?" Julie asked her. "One of my friends needs an Asian model for a project and she was wondering if you would do a test shoot for her." Julie tried to maintain a pleasant smile, even though she was eager to have Kyoko take this opportunity. Kuu may not like it, but he couldn't deny that it would be a good opportunity for the rising star. Besides, Julie was relatively dramatic and competitive, so she _needed_ her daughter to win this job. The sooner Kyoko tried modeling, the better.

"Me? A model? And wouldn't you need permission from LME?" Kyoko asked concerned. She was excited for the opportunity, but had no idea if she could even do it. Lory would kill her for doing work behind his back. If it would take too much time, she would also be letting Moko down! She couldn't allow Moko to suffer the pink curse alone.

"Well, they need a girl for a marketing campaign in Asia. The models agencies have wouldn't appeal to the target audience in Japan, as they found out from a previous test campaign, so they were wondering if there was anyone that looked more like a Japanese domestic model," she explained. Julie knew Kyoko wouldn't take the job if she knew what it was, so she skirted around any real description. "And I've already cleared it with Lory."

Kyoko nodded with an odd mix of excitement and trepidation to indicate she would do it.

On the ride to Julie's agency, Kyoko imagined herself wearing princess dresses and flowing wigs for the camera. Western models in the ads she saw were always dressed that way, so she couldn't contain her fantasies. To be a western model, she thought, was to be a real life princess, and she was only a short drive away from the place where it would happen. She was confused when she got out of the car to find herself at a pricey day spa. Wasn't she supposed to be at Julie's agency?

Julie donned her sunglasses and left the car to the valet. She walked with confidence as she led a shy and increasingly nervous Kyoko through the large glass doors and to the front desk. Julie began to talk to the receptionist in English Kyoko had no hope of understanding. While Kyoko was very good at English, she did not ever learn any spa-related vocabulary. Without any knowledge of the situation, Kyoko became more worried. Shortly a well-dressed worker came out of a door to take her back.

"Aren't you going to come with Julie?" Kyoko asked, nervous. Julie couldn't possibly leave her here with a worker who she could not understand well!

"You'll be fine, Kyoko. Besides, I doubt you would want me there," Julie said with a wink. That only made Kyoko's stomach churn more. Before Kyoko could respond the worker took her back to a room.

Kyoko tried to understand what she could, but only got that she was expected to take her skirt off. Her English, she began to realize, was not great for understanding much involving the industry she was in. Her new goal to work on that aspect distracted her from her fate as she began to realize what Julie had signed her up for, and wondered if she should try to skip out. Finally she agreed to go along with it. If this was what Julie wanted, she'd do it. After all, Kuu and Julie had already done so much for Kyoko. They were her new parents, and she did not want to offend them so much they would abandon her. That didn't make the wax hurt any less. Luckily the beautician was very professional and quiet through the whole thing so she didn't have to talk. That would have only made the ordeal worse.

When she was done the beautician led her out to Julie, who was waiting in her car. Kyoko meekly looked up at Julie to ask where she should pay. "Don't worry. I paid already," Julie said before Kyoko could protest. "Did it go well?" Julie knew it probably hadn't. No one's first waxing went well. Or their subsequent ones for that matter. They always hurt a bit.

Kyoko blushed. She felt obligated to go through the procedure, but not to discuss it with Julie.

"Sorry I didn't warn you. Before any shots are taken, I figured it would be a good idea to get that done. It's pretty standard in the industry out here," Julie said. Observing Kyoko's reaction made her feel slightly guilty, but that guilt was necessary for her goal so she quickly shrugged it off.

"N- no. It's okay. If it's needed for the job I have to do it," Kyoko said. She remained silent for the rest of the short ride to the agency, caught in her thoughts. What modeling would she be doing that _that_ was necessary? She could only imagine terrible, horrific things. It begged the question: did Julie love her, and that's where this came from, or did Julie hate her?

The building was like something out of a movie, and Kyoko knew it had probably been in one. She stared at the fountains and plants along with the clean white walls. Everyone inside was just as beautiful as Julie, so she felt rather intimidated. She wanted to curl up in a small ball and hide, but realistically she knew she would have to exude confidence. It seemed every American did, and if she wanted this job, she had a suspicion they wanted her to meet their American standards. A beautiful woman with brown hair greeted Kyoko and Julie before leading them down a hallway to a photography studio with a dressing room attached. How could she meet their standards, she worried, when she was so comparably inadequate?

"Hello, Kyoko. I'm Stacy Luck, CEO of Veronica's Stash," Julie looked to see a horrified realization spread across Kyoko's face, "Julie has told me you would be a good candidate for this campaign, so I'd just like to get a few shots of you in pieces from our Asia line. All of the pieces are in the changing room. Why don't you go there to get your hair and make-up done?" Julie once again felt a pang of guilt, but that was again quickly overshadowed by a feeling of victory. She had gotten Kyoko this far, so she could say she'd done her part. Now it was time for Kyoko to play hers.

Kyoko robotically bowed and walked to the dressing room. Concerned, Julie followed her. "You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to," Julie told Kyoko. Kyoko felt hope at that statement, but knew it would only lead to admonishment from Kuu. She had to do this: she couldn't afford to turn down roles and she couldn't afford to disappoint her Otou-san.

"No. It's okay. Kuu told me to never turn down a job no matter how difficult. This will give me good exposure," she said with a suddenly sweet smile. Julie watched with some regret as Kyoko got her hair and make-up done. Kyoko looked very grown-up with smoky-eye make-up and her tussled black wig. Julie had only known Kyoko a short amount of time but still felt a bit sad watching her transform from a shy girl to a sexy woman. Her astonishment was more complete when Kyoko came out of the dressing room in the first set of lingerie and confidently walked to the couch and posed sexily. So this was what Kuu had told her about: Kyoko's ability to take on any role that was necessary for her.

While Kyoko shook on the inside, she let Natsu and Setsu take over her for extra courage. She knew no matter how nervous she was, the better she did the sooner she would be done with this. She would play her role in this photoshoot to the fullest and do what she could to be perfect to please Julie and Kuu, but she knew she wouldn't get the job. That reassurance was all that got her through the first shoot in the short red and pink silk robe with matching panties and bra.

She got into the dressing room and hung that set up, relieved that this ordeal was a third over. Next was a light blue teddy. It was only slightly worse than what Setsu wore. If she could wear it in front of Ren, she could wear it here. This time she posed with more pout to reflect Setsu's personality. Setsu was sexy and adorable, a perfect example of the EroKawaii style, and that made her the perfect model for this outfit. That determination made Kyoko more confident in her posing, and it certainly appeared to please Julie. Kyoko felt better after seeing Julie's smile.

The final piece was what had her worried. When she got into the dressing room, she stared at the hangars for a good five minutes before making her move. She carefully put the black lace thong on and took time to properly untangle the many straps of the black lace balconette bra. The sheer black robe showed everything. To hold back her nerves, Kyoko stared in the dressing room mirror, reaffirming to herself that she could do it. Her demons egged her on, pointing out that this would be good revenge for Sho: she would be wearing something he would've loved to see her in, but that he would never be able to touch her in. That was motivation in and of itself, even if she was embarrassed that Sho might see the picture. He hated not getting what he wanted, and this would certainly torture him. If he ever saw it, which she would try hard to prevent.

Julie was a bit surprised to see Kyoko not only pose in the black ensemble, but to also eventually begin to take the robe off and give sultry looks at the camera. Who was this and what had she done with the innocent girl Julie knew? Perhaps… Julie followed a newly blushing Kyoko into her dressing room so the girl could change into her normal clothes.

"So, Kyoko. How would you like to take these clothes home? I'm sure I could arrange something. I'm sure Kuon would love to see you in them," Julie probed. She was anything but subtle. Kyoko turned an even brighter shade of red in response.

"Ah… Umm… It's – It's not like that," Kyoko squeaked out. She had no idea what Julie was thinking. She knew American women were much more open about those matters, but she was a pure Japanese girl. If it had been anyone else, Kyoko would have been angry that they thought she was impure.

"You haven't slept with him yet? Well, I suppose you have only been dating six months," Julie said. She was slightly disappointed, but from what Kuu had said of Kyoko Julie wasn't entirely surprised. "How did you know what poses to make then?"

"I let the characters I've played that were sexier do the shoots," Kyoko replied, trying to stay calm for her mother-figure. "Acting like them helped me get into the spirit of modeling."

"I see. So you probably won't need to take these home," Julie told her, fully intending to get them anyways for Kyoko's future use. She was determined to get Kyoko into Kuon's pants, her modesty be damned. Julie knew her poor son was dying waiting for this girl, and she didn't want him to have to wait too long.

The door opened when Kyoko was done changing. It was the photographer and Stacy. "These shots are very good. Although you don't fit the profile we like for our models," Kyoko braced for rejection, "you are exactly what we need for this campaign. I understand you are returning to Japan in five days, so we will try to set up your photo sessions on Tokyo when you get back. Feel free to take what you wore today home," Stacy said before handing Kyoko a brand duffle bag to hold her new lingerie in. "We put a few more pieces in there for you as well as a swimsuit, yoga pants, and some of our perfumes for you to try." Kyoko sputtered out her thanks as Stacy left and gave her a polite handshake. Kyoko was horrified at the prospect of not only modeling more of the merchandise, but also having to accept such lewd clothing.

"Do – do I really have to keep this, Julie? It's too expensive for them to just give away!" Kyoko asked on their way out. She would feel ashamed to call their clothing lewd, but acting modest to get out of this was an option. Julie carried the bag, trying to ignore Kyoko's protests. After all, she knew the girl's end game and wasn't a fan. Kyoko needed sexy clothes, and by god Julie would make sure she kept them.

"You don't have to, but it's considered a courtesy for the models. That brand is generous with giving their models gifts, so you should expect more to come," Julie smiled. Kyoko resigned herself to keeping the skimpy garments, as giving them away would be seen as rude to those paying her. That was never a good thing. She could feel relief that some good would come out of this: she had pleased Julie immensely. She was happy to have a mother so happy about her actions.

They met Kuu for a late dinner in downtown Los Angeles and went over the day. Julie mentioned that they had had a spa date, but didn't bother to mention that Kyoko had gotten a job with the world's largest lingerie brand. Kyoko only told Kuu she had gotten a modeling job, making him incredibly excited. Kyoko skirted the issue out of embarrassment, while Julie skirted the issue to protect Kyoko's wishes for now. She would tell Kuu later, when Kyoko wasn't around to hear his enthusiasm about her big break. Maybe he'd reward her with some nighttime fun of their own.

He was as excited as Julie hoped when she told him the specifics of the job once they were lying in bed side by side. He didn't fancy seeing the cute innocent Japanese maiden Kyoko in lingerie, but the sample shots handed to Julie and faxed to Lory would provide good fodder to tease Kuon with. Hell, Kuu figured the ad campaigns Kuon would run into would drive him crazy. If only he could be there to see his son's reaction. Julie had gotten Kyoko a good opportunity, but he knew he was about to one-up her. For tonight he let her think she'd won their little contest of who could dote on their daughter more with new opportunities.

* * *

Kuu had a surprise for Kyoko the next morning when she awoke: another job offer.

"Kyoko, dear," he said over breakfast. "I have another audition for you." Kyoko's face showed some fear, and her mind was filled with a sense of dread. Obviously she had not quite gotten over what Julie volunteered her for the day before. "It's nothing like what your Mom had you do." He saw the relief in her face turn back to sparkles in her eyes. Kyoko knew her father wouldn't do that to her! She told herself that, but she knew she was lying. What _could_ she expect after yesterday?

"What is it?"

"The movie I'm in that I had a meeting for yesterday is still looking for an actress for a role. They need a Japanese actress in her late teens, so I showed them some of your previous work and convinced them to let you audition," Kuu said. Kyoko wondered if he had just showed them some of her previous work, or if he had also went onto a long rant a la when he told her about Kuon. "Would you like to do it? We can call them up and have the audition as soon as tomorrow."

Kyoko nodded. "Of course, father!" This was bigger than she could've hoped. Yesterday, she had felt out of her league, but got the job anyways. Tomorrow, she hoped she could do the same.

* * *

 **A/N:** Leaving it there at a bit of a cliff-hanger, but that should be okay. Idk when the next chapter will be up, but I won't leave you hanging.


	3. A Surprise Role

**A/N:** We're moving on now to the meat of the story. We had the prologue and then a silly little chapter (which probably could've used more elaboration in all parts, but I may re-write it later). That chapter was written tipsy with no plan, so I'm not exactly proud of it. This one will be better. Hopefully.

For clarification if you didn't read A Life in Headlines, in this fic Kyoko is 18 and Ren in 22.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **A Surprise Role**

The afternoon following Kuu's offer was dedicated to working on the role. He didn't tell her many details, hoping she would breathe life into the role without any influence of the script.

"Before we start," he warned, "They already have an actress they want for this role. They've all but signed the contract with her. It's quite an honor that they're going to audition you, but you'll need to blow them away with your skills." The challenge made Kyoko nervous. How could she compete with an established actress for a role in a Hollywood movie? "I'm sure you're capable of beating her out for it. Otherwise I wouldn't have given them your name."

Kyoko swallowed nervously and nodded. She wanted to sink deeper into the Hizuri's plush couch to escape. After hearing Kuu's rant about Kuon, she was skeptical that any praise from Kuu was worth anything. It wasn't that Kuon wasn't all those things he described him as, it was that Kuu could never offer criticism of his children to others, which was what Kyoko often felt she deserved.

"Don't worry. You'll be okay. Would you like to hear about the role?" Kuu gave her a reassuring smile to get her back into the mood for acting. He hoped.

"Of course Father!" Kyoko brightened up. Kuu could read her like a book, or at least understood her enough to know sometimes she needed a reminder that not everything about her was terrible. Kyoko still had her doubts, but could quickly be sidetracked when necessary. For that, Kuu thanked his lucky stars.

"The movie takes place during World War II," Kyoko nodded. She knew quite a bit about it from school, but not enough to inform her decisions. That made her even more nervous - how could she act a part when she knew so little about the environment in which that character lived? "The role is that of the daughter of a rich family," Kuu recited. Kyoko's eyes sparkled at the possibility, but she knew how that had turned out last time. There had to be some catch that would make her not like the role. "Your family has trained you to be the perfect bride to a wealthy suitor, but shortly before the war begins they smuggle you away to America for your own protection. You are sent alone to come live with your uncle in California, who you have never met and is disliked by your parents. You can also speak English, but only as well as you were taught, so you are lost when you arrive."

There was the catch. She was lost in a foreign land alone on the brink of war between the country she was from and the one she was going to. Kyoko tried to imagine the girl in her head, but decided she needed to know more before she could even begin to think about this girl. "Could I borrow a laptop?"

Kuu left to get her a laptop and some of the history books he had perused in preparing for his role. He was unsure how well Kyoko could read English, but he brought her those books anyways along with his Japanese ones. She spent the afternoon reading up on Japanese immigrants during that time period and refreshed her knowledge of the lives of wealthy Japanese girls during the time period. Even though she could read the English books, she didn't find them very helpful because she couldn't understand the nuances of the language enough. She figured it was better that way: her character would only have the knowledge of a Japanese citizen, so American knowledge and fears were not part of her thought processes. The character began to develop in her mind, but she wanted to try bouncing it off someone. She knew she would need to do it eventually, so she asked Kuu for his help once more.

"Father?"

"Yes?" He called from across the room, where he was busy reading a script for another project.

"Would you mind helping me out?" Kyoko asked. Even if he called himself her father, it didn't make the request any less intimidating to Kyoko. "I would like to practice the character with you."

Kuu put down the script he had been working on and grabbed the parts of the script he'd received for the movie. He was proud that she already had some idea of what she would be doing, but kept the script to himself to test her understanding so he could be sure. If she showed a good grasp of her character, it gave him even more reason to praise her. Instead of letting her see the script, he began to recite lines from his own character's interactions with the girl. Kuu didn't tell her his role, but Kyoko quickly gleaned through his interactions that he would be playing her uncle, and responded accordingly. Her lines did not match the script, but that was to be expected because she had never seen it. They were close, but Kuu noticed errors in her characterization at points that he felt a need to correct with her. After a few pages he set the script down and began to help her refine the character.

"That was very good Kyoko!" He was not surprised she was good at the sadness and fear of moving to a new place alone at such a young age, considering her past, but that same factor made her forget another piece of the puzzle. "But, wouldn't she have a sense of excitement or wonder? She may not have seen something quite as amazing as America before, and may not have been allowed on her own much."

Kyoko considered this for a second. She was so focused on Sho both when she moved to Tokyo and when she moved to the Daruma-ya, albeit for different reasons, that she ignored any excitement and wonder the move to Tokyo brought her. Instead, she worked to pull from her recollection of her arrival in America. Kyoko began to respond to Kuu's prompts with the wonder, but she couldn't quite get it right. She wouldn't show it, but she was frustrated at her failure. Kuu couldn't see that she was still affected by her tortured past; that would hurt him as well as her.

"Maybe we should quit for tonight. I'm sure the excitement of going to the audition tomorrow will help you," Kuu said. "Do you want to watch a movie or play a board game before bed?"

Kyoko nodded, and they went to pick out a movie. She picked one out with little thought: an old musical about a princess, and sat down on the couch. While she acted her part of the daughter happily watching a movie with her father, she knew she was shaking inside with anticipation of the audition. It was a test she had to pass to please her adopted father. Even if Kuu wouldn't care about the result, Kyoko's twisted logic returned her to images of her displeased mother after a low score. In her mind, he did care that much.

* * *

The next morning Kuu woke Kyoko up early. Julie had helped to dress her in a vintage dress straight out of the '40s and tried her best to match her make-up for maximum impact at the audition. She had wanted Kyoko to look like a movie star, but Kyoko had insisted on wearing something appropriate for the role. The method actress wanted this to go perfectly, so she wanted to look the part. It would provide inspiration and show her work to her potential employers. Kuu had his own plans to give her inspiration. He wanted to inspire her feeling of excitement, so he drove her through Griffith Park so she could see the Hollywood sign and all of Los Angeles. Seeing Kyoko's wide eyes and curious stares at the sites, he wondered how well it had worked. If he wasn't so confident she would be okay, that would have caused doubt to build up in Kuu.

The Porsche they sat in drove through the gates Kyoko had only seen on television. They were famous enough to have been recreated at a theme park in Japan. She watched with wide eyes as the gates opened and Kuu drove his car into a real above-ground parking garage – something she had never seen in Tokyo or Kyoto. Now she began to show a face struck by wonder. Kyoko felt like a little kid again driving in.

Almost immediately after getting out of the parking garage Kuu became the center of attention. Kyoko watched as Kuu smiled at the gossiping interns and waved to the paparazzi waiting outside of the gate. She felt dwarfed by his presence, but was somehow relieved to be neigh invisible by his side. This level of attention wasn't something in her comfort zone yet. She knew she would have to eventually. For now, this wasn't her world, but if she wanted to be successful she knew she would have to exude confidence. To be in a movie with Kuu, she knew she had to show she could match his wits. She lifted her head up and performed Natsu's walk into the building, hoping to capture that arrogance.

Inside the building more interns and workers bustled around, but thankfully the camera flashes had ended. Just like Julie's agency, the building was pristine and well-decorated as if it was in one of the movies produced in its halls. Even Kuu was lost here, so one star-struck intern had to lead them through the halls up to a huge office. Once again, Kyoko began to feel out of place. The interns, the decorations, the office - everything made her feel inferior to the Hollywood types around her. Kyoko shyly stood by the door before the middle-aged man at the desk invited her in. With the drop in confidence, she didn't want to step on his toes. She sat down in a large leather chair facing the desk while Kuu stood off to the side. Shortly after she arrived, a few more men came in. They chatted with Kuu and the sitting man for a bit before greeting her. If she hadn't felt out of place before, surely she felt that way while they ignored her presence.

"Welcome," the oldest man greeted. It didn't feel entirely friendly. Kyoko had to wonder how much they actually wanted her there and how much of this was due to Kuu's insistence. She assumed it was the later. What American producer would want humble little her for their film? "Kyoko Mogami, I presume?"

"Yes," Kyoko replied in her polished English, "I am Kyoko Mogami. Please call me Kyoko." Out of habit she bowed to them. Again, she began to wonder if that had come off the wrong way to the staff.

"I am the director and executive producer, Marvin Shore. These men are the casting director, the lead writer, and my production team," the man behind the desk said. "Please stand up." Kyoko stood up. "Slowly turn." She did so quickly, hoping not to insult them further. She wondered why they would be doing this - it wasn't even her costume.

The men talked and one called a young woman in. She held a black wig, which she hastily put on Kyoko's head before heading out. Apparently her brown hair wasn't appropriate for their image of her character. That was another strike against her. "Can you turn around again?" The casting director requested, and once again she followed suit.

Again the men huddled together before the casting director spoke up to Kuu. "She's got the look we are going for, but only with the wig. Can you ask her if she'd be willing to wear it for the film?" Kyoko was relieved, but felt insulted that they didn't trust her English. She felt more motivated to prove her knowledge of the subject after that question.

Kuu quipped, "Why don't you just ask her? I think you're underestimating her English!" He knew producers could be xenophobic towards actors from Asia, and poor knowledge of English was a major part of that. They would need proof she could hold her own on set.

"Then, Kyoko, would you be willing?"

Kyoko once again bowed as she said, "I would be willing." As if to challenge their lack of trust in her, she gave them a confident, but not overtly cocky, smile.

"Good," Mr. Shore asked her. "Let's move onto the next phase then. Could you read us a few lines?" He looked to the youngest member of the production team to set up a camera so they could have her on tape.

Mr. Shore handed her a script. It included a monologue that was an odd mix of English and half in Japanese along with a few lines she would recite back to them when prompted. The mix of languages made the script a challenge for Kyoko, but she knew she would have to live up to it to beat Sho and prove to herself that she was as good as Kuu thought she was. After looking over the monologue for several minutes, she placed the script on the desk so she could perform. A new confidence filled her: she could do this.

Kyoko focused on the character as she recited the lines for them and performed. Her character's spirit and worries began to fill her. It wasn't perfected yet, but for the first time Kyoko could pinpoint where she wanted to change her performance to better fit the character's feelings. Understanding that much would allow her to build off of each scene they had her read. They asked her to do the monologue last, and she had to perform it three times with slightly different expressions. None of the men showed any reaction, although a few took notes. Kuu didn't tell her if that was a good or a bad sign. She didn't even know if he knew. If he did, his face didn't betray it.

The men talked more after she was done and asked Kuu to play off of her. Much to Kyoko's relief they asked them to perform the scene the two had practiced the night before. Her character danced off of his much better than the night before due to the extra practice with her character outside of the context of his. That gave her the confidence to act up against her own father for those few short minutes.

When they were done, the men asked Kyoko to leave the room while they discussed this with Kuu. Kyoko waited nervously in the hall, worried that she had done something wrong. From her experience, authority figures only seemed to talk to parents when their children had made a monumental error. After an agonizing ten minutes, Kuu exited the room. He was smiling. There was no way for Kyoko to interpret this along her current lines of thought, so she stayed silent.

"Well, that went great, Kyoko! They are seriously considering you for the role now. We should go have lunch now. They want you to stay here so that you can do a screen test with the male lead," Kuu said. He wouldn't tell her that was all that was standing in her way of the role. He knew it wouldn't affect her, but he didn't want to disappoint her in case the powers that be changed their minds. Hollywood could be fickle, and he didn't want Kyoko to learn that the hard way. "Because of his schedule, we have about an hour before he gets here, so we'll have to eat at the cafeteria. At least the food's pretty good here!" Kuu laughed.

Kyoko felt nervous – could she possibly get a role in a Hollywood movie? Kuu cut off her worries with his monologue about her.

"Can you believe that they thought you couldn't speak English well? I told them so many times how good you were at it." Kyoko could believe that. With how much Kuu bragged, they probably though all he said was hyperbole. "The Director even said he was thankful for my 'incessant nagging' about you because you were so good!" Kyoko was not ready to hear all of Kuu's flattery, so she tuned him out so she could be left to her own scrambled thoughts.

Kuu's rant about how wonderful she was went through lunch, as did Kyoko's blush in response to it. He only shut up when they returned to the office for her screen test. Inside they found the men chatting with Ren. Yashiro was there, but awkwardly stood to the side due to his horrific English. Kuu wasn't surprised in the slightest, but was gleeful to see his daughter greet his son with a massive blush. The crowd turned to see them come into the room. Ren was dressed in a beat up pair of pants and a button-up shirt and his hair was carefully mussed up, but he still attracted the attention of the passing interns. He felt lucky Kyoko didn't notice their stares. She wouldn't feel jealous; she would feel inadequate. He never liked seeing her that way: she was far above adequate.

"Ah! Ms. Mogami. I didn't realize you were the one auditioning for this part," Ren said. He maintained the façade of a formal working relationship with Kyoko in front of anyone that knew Lory, including his own father. They had agreed it was best that as few people as possible knew, and Lory would be preaching about their love to the world if he found out. Neither wanted to deal with that. Although Kyoko was more afraid of Lory finding out, Ren knew his father could be just as bad. The only reason Julie knew was because Julie somehow found out about every relationship of every individual even tangentially related to her business. Ren never knew how, but he knew he could trust her not to tell Kuu. Julie understood their sentiment, and she certainly did not want to bring any good news to Lory any time soon. That didn't make it any easier to not greet his girlfriend with more zeal.

"Tsu- Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko reverted to speaking in Japanese out of surprise. All she knew about his trip was that he was doing modeling. Since when was a Hollywood movie a part of his trip? "Why are you here?"

"I'm the male lead. While I was here for modeling they had me come here for the final contract signings. The audition tapes were sent in from Japan," Ren explained in Japanese back to her. She felt hurt he didn't tell her, but Kuu had warned her to tell no one until her name was announced, no matter how trusted. Actors had gotten fired in the past for doing just that. They could afford to cut her or Ren, and she knew that. Surely there were starving Japanese-American or top Japanese actors itching for the role.

The casting director spoke first. "You know each other?"

"Yes," they replied simultaneously. Ren continued on with the explanation due to his better English. "We work for the same agency, and in Japan it is very common for talents from the same agency to befriend one another due to our more centralized work environment. Ms. Mogami has been a good friend of mine since she joined the agency a while ago."

Kuu had to interrupt. "They even have dating rumors swirling around them to play up for your movie promotion!" Quietly he whispered to the team, "but they'll never actually get together. They're too stubborn to admit they like each other." While Kuu's professional side told him he was telling them this to prevent headaches during filming and marketing, his mischief-making tendencies were certainly the cause of his words. The other men in the room passed those statements off as more eccentric things to come out of Kuu's mouth, and didn't take them much to heart. After all, they had no idea what Kuu knew about Ren. They knew the two had some business connections, but were unsure if they had met. Both men in question wanted to keep it that way, so they acted as strangers to one another.

"So, moving on with our work, we're going to touch up Kyoko's make-up and find something for Kuu to wear that will fit in with you two. We'll do one scene with Kyoko and Ren, one with all three of you, and one with Kuu and Ren. Does that sound good?" The actors and actress in question nodded to indicate their understanding.

While Kuu was brought out to find more period-appropriate clothing, Ren and Kyoko stood in front of a white screen. They performed one scene Kyoko had auditioned with earlier for the cameras. The men in the office gave her another scene to read while Ren and Kuu did their scene for the camera. She worked hard to memorize the lines for the scene so that they could complete it in one take. To compete for the role, she had to show them she was good at her job. Just to stand by Ren's side on screen she had to show that she could do scenes in one take as well as he could. Surely that was valued in Hollywood, she assured herself. Sure enough, some of the men had smiled when she, Kuu, and Ren nailed their scene in a single take. Those smiles must be for Ren and Kuu, Kyoko reasoned. She wasn't that good. They led her through the scene.

"Well then. Kyoko, we have to talk to some people, but we will answer you about the role with a week or two. Kuu and Ren are both good to go for now. You're all free to leave, but I would suggest you return that costume Kuu." Kuu laughed in response to what was probably some sort of inside joke before leaving the room to change. Kyoko didn't know if talking to people was good or bad news, but Kuu didn't seem too upset about how the day had gone. Maybe he was just trying to make her feel better about it.

"I'll meet you in the lobby, Kyoko," he said, "Ren, Mr. Yashiro, you can get her there, right?" They confirmed that they could. "Good. See you there!"

Kyoko and Ren walked silently behind Yashiro to the lobby, where they sat on a large modern couch. Her father may have stayed behind, but Ren didn't leave her. That made her feelings of inadequacy leave her temporarily.

"Mr. Tsuruga? Would you mind having dinner with us tonight?" Kyoko asked him. The confidence he gave her had made her want to spend more time with him. It would relieve the agony of her wait for news about the role.

"Sorry. I have another modeling job to get to. I'm only here a week so they're stretching me thin," he apologized. An vacation with her to America would have been a dream come true for him. That dream would have to wait, much to his annoyance.

"Will you still be able to make it to Mother and Father's anniversary party? It's in three days, the night before we return to Japan." Kyoko had asked him before. She had hoped to help along his reunion with Kuu and Julie, but in the back of her mind she knew it wouldn't happen. When he was ready to reunite with them was not necessarily when she wanted them to do so. To some extent she understood it, but that didn't make their separation weigh on her thoughts any less.

"No, I don't think I can," he replied. Yashiro called for Ren and he had to leave, but not before gently brushing her hand against his. To most it seemed like an accidental bump, but the couple knew it was their way of subtly having a romantic goodbye. With the secrecy, neither wanted to risk more contact. "I'll see you for the flight Ms. Mogami," he said.

Not a minute later she received a text from Ren. He explained that he didn't want Yashiro to know, but that he would be showing up to his parents' anniversary party a bit late. That was a relief. What wasn't a relief was the plan Ren had concocted to meet his goal: he was trying too hard to stay hidden, but she knew it wouldn't work. Kuon planned to sneak in a back door for maximum subtlety and talk to his parents privately, but assured her that he would save her a dance. How was that last part subtle? She had to remind herself that Ren was a creation of Kuon, but wasn't Kuon. Ren's true self could be much more impulsive and flirty, and she hoped that was why his plan seemed bad.

When Kuu came, Kyoko was tempted to tell him Ren's news, but figured it was best to keep it a surprise. The less Kuu knew about Ren's plan, the better. She couldn't trust him to keep his mouth shut. That would lead to more certain disaster than his son's own plan.

Now Kyoko had to find a way to spend the rest of her vacation without spoiling the surprise herself.

* * *

 **A/N:** So that's it for now? I don't know what the next chapter will be – the party or the announcement or what, so there will be planning before writing and therefore the chapter might take a bit longer.


	4. Surprises for Parents

**A/N:** This took a while because I had no idea where to go with it. Hopefully it's good?

There's a kind of prologue/short story to this chapter that will be referred to later. I initially didn't want to write it, but inspiration strikes.

To answer a reviewer, yes – Julie is the only one that knows Ren/Kuon and Kyoko are dating, along with possibly Kanae. They both have their own motives for letting Lory not know, but they're united in their desire to not see his massively overstated reaction that will invite in attention. Hence, they're keeping it quiet. Kuu and Yashiro in particular are not trusted to keep it quiet or keep it from Lory.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Ren's (Un)Pleasant Surprise**

Ren was sitting in a dressing room waiting for his photoshoot to start. For whatever reason, the crew was delayed along with his wardrobe, so here he was. It had been an hour and counting. He was bored and frustrated - usually his schedule was packed, so any delays caused excessive headaches for all parties. Today he was lucky he was only cutting into his lunch. He wouldn't have cared if he hadn't known Kyoko's obsession with his eating habits. Yashiro was outside helping to figure out exactly what was going on.

Suddenly he felt text after text come into his phone. Seeking a distraction, he gingerly took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen only to see a text from Lory along with several pictures that were too small to make out. Lory never sent him pictures, so he was naturally curious.

Ren opened the chat only to have his eyes go wide in shock. The text only said, "Guess what company has hired Kyoko for an ad campaign? 3 XOXO" He became suspicious and oddly excited. What had Lory made her do? Or perhaps it was his mother, back to haunt him with her stupid clothing designs.

He slowly opened the first picture, wary of what it may show. The thumbnail appeared to be Kyoko in a red and pink dress, but upon opening it he saw what was really going on. The photo featured Kyoko lounging seductively on a dark red velvet couch. She was wearing a short red silk robe with pink trim. The open robe showed that underneath was a red silk bralette with pink lace trim and a similarly lacy red and pink pair of panties. Ren was certainly beginning to feel aroused, but wondered if he should really look at the rest of the pictures. It made him feel a little dirty to look at his innocent, cute girlfriend in lingerie. He couldn't decide if he should continue or not. It could only get worse - or better, as his baser instincts reminded him.

Out of what he would claim was curiosity, Ren continued on to the next picture. In this one Kyoko a sky blue teddy. Her expression was poutier, as if she was imitating Setsu, and the teddy bear on her lap certainly upped the false innocence of the picture. At least she was more covered. Ren lingered longer on this picture: it played to his desires. While Kyoko looked cute and innocent, the Setsu-esque expression made him remember the not-so-innocent interactions he had with Setsu. There was only one more picture, so he decided he could risk it. Maybe he could make it through this without getting too turned on to turn out a good shoot.

The next shot dashed his hopes of that. This was a shot from behind, with a seductive Kyoko turning towards the camera. A black lace "robe" was hanging off her arms, close to coming off. It barely covered her butt, which was clothed with a skimpy lace thong. On her breasts was a matching lace balconette bra. Hopefully the shoot wouldn't start soon. His pants felt far too tight and his mind was far from the photo studio. A less mature Ren would have insisted on relief, but he tried to maintain his professional persona through sheer will. It would be bad for a staff member to walk in on him or to overhear his muffled moans.

He should have saved the photos for a later date – he would have if he was acting like Kuon – but he couldn't as Ren. Instead he sent an angry text back to Lory and deleted the entire conversation before taking a cold shower. So what if they needed to re-do his make-up?

* * *

 **Surprises for Parents**

The day after her audition, Kyoko was finally allowed to have a vacation of her own without any work. Disneyland was the first place on their agenda. Julie and Kuu watched on as Kyoko was led through the VIP garage and through the back gate to the park. Apparently she didn't know that enough celebrities came through the doors of the park to justify special accommodations. Kyoko freaked out at first, insisting she wasn't worthy, but became excited when Alice walked with her into the park. She was even more excited to get her pictures with all of the princesses. Kuu watched on fondly, happy to have spoiled his "son" so well. It was a new feeling for him: because Kuon had always been raised for a life on the A-list, none of this treatment phased him, but Kyoko displayed the wonder his son never did. After Kuu spent the day dragging Julie and Kyoko on rides, Julie brought them to the pricey restaurant at one of the park's hotels. Once again Kyoko was tempted to insist she didn't deserve any of the special treatment. She still couldn't fathom having loving parents and admirers. While that made Kuu sad, he was determined to fix it. By the time they had gotten back to the Hizuris' mansion Kyoko was sound asleep in the back of the van. Kuu insisted on carrying her to bed when she didn't wake up, as if she were his much younger daughter. Even if she was full grown, Kuu knew it felt right.

Kyoko woke up well rested the next day and excited for another day with her parents. She was beginning to be more open to their warmth and kindness, but was still nervous about disappointing them. Today Kuu was at a morning meeting, so Julie took the time to bring Kyoko to Beverly Hills after giving her the latest fashions to wear. There she bought Kyoko more designer clothes, dresses, and make-up than Kyoko could fit in her suitcase to bring home, so Julie ended up buying her a set of designer luggage as well. Kyoko blushed, but her increasing comfort with the Hizuri couple made resistance minimal. Inside, she could swear their actions made her feel no shame, only warmth. She chose to ignore that notion. Only one paparazzo was on their case, but fans in tour busses snapped pictures of Julie. A Japanese tour group gave Kyoko a scare when they recognized her, but they were more polite than Julie's rabid American fans. Not used to the attention, Kyoko initially tried to hide, but Julie trotted her out for extra exposure. That made her want to go back into bed, hiding away. Sure, this would help to raise her profile above Sho's, but she didn't like to be pushed into the spotlight by her mother. It made her feel a lack of control of her career.

The afternoon got worse when they met up with Kuu to take Kyoko around Hollywood. Despite his wig and sunglasses, Kuu was easily recognized due to his many blockbuster roles. Julie's much less nuanced attempt to disguise herself didn't help them stay anonymous. A steady crowd followed them through the mall, into small museums, and to the various photo opportunity locations. In return for photos with fans, Julie and Kuu got family photos at all these places with Kyoko for their house. With each photo came less blushing from Kyoko. Although she was still not used to the family aspect, she had to act as if she was. These were her new family memories. She wouldn't want to ruin them for her parents.

While walking back to their car, the trio was stopped outside of one building by a man followed by a cameraman. The man asked them a question about someone Kyoko hadn't heard of – an athlete of some sort – and waited to hear Kuu and Julie's opinion. Kuu laughed and immediately called the man out for being the very person they were asked about. The man then called Kuu and Julie out on disguising themselves. Kuu and the man hugged before the segment was over. A woman that looked like an agent of some sort came out with papers, but upon seeing it was Kuu and Julie the woman asked for contact information for their agencies. Kuu was smug to point out that Kyoko would need permission as well, and handed out LME's information. Kyoko was fairly confused at the encounter. She assumed it was for a TV program, but she couldn't be sure. If it was, she hoped Lory wouldn't be too mad about her getting involved in yet another surprise appearance in America.

Instead of letting Kyoko sleep, Kuu and Julie made her stay up to watch an American talk show. Kyoko didn't understand why until she saw their segment from earlier pop up on the screen. The Hizuri couple watched her embarrassment about seeing herself on TV happily. It was, after all, her first appearance on US television. She didn't know if she had come off well or not, but she did know that she could've made a mistake she would never know about. The idea simmered in her head even as her parents assured her that she had done well. Finally they let her go to bed.

* * *

After a homemade lunch Kyoko had cooked while Kuu and Julie were out for a magazine interview discussing their anniversary Kyoko was afraid to find herself back at the same day spa Julie had dragged her to a few days before. This time, she assumed they couldn't possibly do the same thing, but was still nervous. While she was dragged to the back with Julie, Kuu stayed up front to wait for a massage.

The workers tried their hardest to make her feel like a princess. She was given three different kinds of facials, a mud bath, and a mani-pedi. Even when she didn't think more could be done, they gave her a massage and rubbed her skin down with scented oils. All of the attention was somewhat horrifying, particularly when the masseuse insisted she take her shirt off, but she survived.

Only after all of the spa activities did Kyoko find herself to be somewhat in her element. They had given her a silk robe to wear while she sat in the make-up chair waiting. Julie's personal hair and make-up team entered the private room and went to work. They put no wig on her, but instead worked to style her short hair into the latest fashion. Her make-up was more innocent than Natsu or Setsu wore, but looked slightly too dramatic to be considered natural due to the subtle green hues they had blended in. She felt as if the fairy queen's personal helpers had done her up, and knowing that Julie's son was her fairy prince only made the illusion more real.

Half-way through Kyoko turned her head to see a woman bring a dress bag into the room. They unzipped the bag to reveal a beautiful green gown. Kyoko assumed Julie had designed it for her considering it was a fashionable mix of whimsical and mature. The strapless dark teal slip was covered in a longer green rose lace. Despite the simplicity, Kyoko knew the dress had to have cost more than she could imagine. She was allowed to put it on alone, but Julie burst into the room to help zip it up. She was already in her own dress, which happened to be the same dark teal of Kyoko's slip. Julie looked delighted at Kyoko's look, but still had to give her shoes, purse, and jewelry to match. Looking in the mirror, Kyoko's mind floated off to lala land. The fairy queen had made her an honorary fairy princess for the night.

They made their way out to a limo that was waiting to drive the family to the party. In her fantasy, the white outside became a chariot waiting to take her royal adoptive parents to their ball. The only snag in her joy came from the prince. Kyoko had still not heard from Ren about his plans to come, but couldn't let her concern show. She didn't want to ruin the surprise if it did happen or to disappoint them if it didn't. Julie and Kuu made light conversation during the short drive to the hotel, as if they didn't notice Kyoko's worries.

Paparazzi took pictures as the Hizuri couple arrived fashionably late at their own party. They waved to the cameras before security managed to push them back from the door. Immediately after stepping inside a host led them to an express elevator to take them to their extravagant top-floor ballroom, only to be swarmed again when the elevator's doors opened as guests hurried to greet their hosts. The sheer volume of people scared Kyoko, but she knew she would have to act worthy of her parents, so she gathered together all the manners she knew about thanking party guests. Usually she was the lower ranked one, but today she was a center of attention, the new prodigal "son" of the Hizuri family everyone was so curious about.

Kyoko saw people she had only heard of and shook hands with Oscar winners. She made rounds of the party with the Hizuri couple so all of their friends could meet her. Every person she met made her more starstruck. Her fantasy of a fairy ball began to become more real with all the bright dresses and beautiful people surrounding her. More of the insanely beautiful women that Kyoko assumed were model friends of Julie moved to greet Kyoko, popping her out of her fantasy.

Some of the models introduced themselves as models for Veronica's Stash and welcomed her to their family. They immediately brought her into their circle of conversation, eager to learn more about the company's newest spokeswoman. Their beauty was intimidating, and she was using all of her confidence to try to stand up with them. Sho's words about her plainness echoed in her head as she tried to match up to them. She used her best English to talk to them, but couldn't handle the conversation any more when it came to boys. Considering what they primarily modeled, she wasn't the least bit surprised when they began grilling her about sex. A few backed off when they saw the shade of red her face had turned, but two were particularly persistent to get her to answer. The persistent model seemed familiar, but she couldn't place her until one asked a damning question:

"But, aren't you dating Ren Tsuruga? Isn't he Japan's hottest bachelor?" She asked suggestively, as if that meant that meant they were sleeping together. Kyoko was surprised she knew that rumor at all, since she wasn't Japanese.

The other models started to ask for pictures, and soon enough one of them were showing each other some of his modeling shots. The barrage of requests made Kyoko clumsy in filling them, and she paused in horror as another model whipped out her phone to find a picture. This would only make matters worse. When she was just beginning to feel adequate for him, a bunch of the sexiest women in the world swooning over him brought back feelings of inadequacy.

"You're dating him? Damn, he's hot!" A tall blonde model said.

"N- no! It's not like that! We're just co-workers!" Kyoko stammered out in her own defense. She wondered what else to say.

"Sure, it is," the second persistent model said. "I've worked with him on enough shoots to know how he regards you. I swear he's always looking at pictures of you on your phone and deciding if it's a good time to call you. I just wanna know the juicy details." Kyoko didn't even know what she meant by that. She would have to get better at colloquial slang in English.

The first persistent one looked a little peeved at that statement. Kyoko wondered if there was some jealousy, even between these women that looked like perfect goddesses.

"Don't worry about her," the second model whispered to the crowd around Kyoko, "she's worked with him once, but was drawn into his spell. She has such a huge crush on him I swear she's his stalker." Like that would make Kyoko feel better.

Kyoko blushed and the other girls peppered her with a new barrage of questions. The verbal assault made her physically back into the wall in an attempt to evade answering such awkward and (in her mind) inappropriate questions. She was only saved when the room was silenced for the dinner portion of the event. The dinner was fancy and well-made. Upon her first taste, Kyoko asked Kuu and Julie if she was in heaven or not. They just laughed. Kuu brought that question up in his dinner speech, as he spent nearly twenty minutes gloating about how perfect his wife and children were before someone stopped him. As if the night couldn't have gotten any more embarrassing, Kyoko thought. She wondered how it could get worse.

As soon as her parents got up for more socialization and pictures with friends the Veronica's Stash models were back talking to her. She supposed it was good practice in English conversation, and they _were_ the only ones remotely close to her age, but she couldn't always follow their words. None of them were even sure she'd work directly with them at all. All she'd done was take test pictures and verbally committed to be the face of their campaign in Japan. As far as she knew, no contracts were signed, so any interaction was confusing to her. She had heard Americans were friendly and open, but this was hard for her to understand.

Suddenly the room went silent, saving her from whatever they were going on about. She thought it was something about the swimwear collection, but she couldn't be sure. Frankly, she didn't care. She was grateful for the distraction. Heads turned towards Kuu and Julie, who were now being greeted by a tall man with shining blond hair. Julie began to cry. Even from behind Kyoko instinctively knew it was Kuon. The crowd began to whisper his name as Kuu ushered his wife and son out of the crowded ballroom. Kyoko wondered if she should go with them, but decided she could endure the chatter to allow Kuon to reunite with his parents. It would've been selfish for her to do otherwise, she concluded.

A few of the younger models in the group asked who "Kuon" was, to which the older models began explaining. Kyoko wouldn't explain because she was worried she would spill too much. At this point Kyoko realized one of the older models was one of Kuon's ex-girlfriends, while another certainly implied she had slept with him. That wasn't what she wanted to hear, but considering Kuon had told her about his teenage antics she wasn't surprised. How immodest could Americans be, she wondered.

"So, Kyoko, the Hizuris treat you like their own daughter," the second persistent model I now knew as Claire said, "Can you hook me up? I mean, you have to know about him if you're that close to him." This gave Kyoko pause. What could she say?

"I don't know anything about him," Kyoko said with a healthy dose of Mio's family angst added. There was some guilt in lying to a new friend she may have to work with, but Kyoko knew it wasn't right to tell the truth - that was Kuon's job.

The blonde model, Mira, didn't think I was so innocent. "Oh, I'm sure you know."

"Well, I know his story and such, but I can't say I know where he is right now," Kyoko added with a touch of Natsu. It was technically true – she didn't know where any of the Hizuris were. That answer didn't sting any less than the first. It was still not the truth.

"So do you know where he ended up after he left?" The ex-girlfriend asked.

"No. I don't think it would be polite to ask," Kyoko said. One lie, one truth. "If he's here, maybe you'll come back so you can ask him."

"Ah~! Kyoko-chan!" Lory greeted her. Tonight he was dressed somewhat appropriately: as Gatsby. "Are these your new friends?" His entrance had spared Kyoko further hard choices, and for that she wanted to thank him. She knew she couldn't. That would require explanation. She didn't want to tell the models she'd lied or was happy to get away from their nosy ways.

"Yes! These are models for Veronica's Stash," Kyoko explained. She looked at their confused faces and realized Lory had not introduced himself. "This – this is the president of my talent agency, Lory Takarada." He can be a bit much, Kyoko added in her mind, hoping he wouldn't show that side of himself.

All of the models greeted him quickly before he swept her away. "While Kuu and Julie are away, people are asking about you. Why don't you greet them?" Lory asked. He brought her out to an empty service hallway and whispered to her for extra security. At this point Kyoko realized he had an ulterior motive, but what? "Yashiro left today, so Kuon can spend the night with his family. They'll need to stay at the party a while longer, but I'm sure you'll have time to spend with them tonight." Now he was interested in her relationship with Kuon progressing, she lamented. Thank god she hadn't told him or it would be much worse.

Kyoko nodded excitedly before returning to the party with Lory. Despite his comments, she couldn't hold back her excitement to spend time with the reunited Hizu family. He introduced her to a never-ending supply of his friends before the Hizuri family finally returned. She immediately ran to hug her parents, but had to be cautious when greeting Kuon so as not to betray any connection to him. That made her feel bad, but she knew it had to be done. The Hizuri parents walked around the party with their children before letting Kuon grab a glass of wine and go off on his own. They only stayed another half hour before leaving, so they could spend more time without the lies and pretenses they had to give at the party, which was thankfully not enough time for his ex-girlfriend and hook-up from the modelling group to latch on to him. Kyoko stuck by him just in case they would try, but they eventually snuck out to the limo where they would meet Kuu and Julie to return home.

In the limo Kuon finally felt comfortable enough to talk to her without worry of someone finding out about their close relationship. He didn't expect his parents to come down for another ten minutes so he took the time to properly greet Kyoko. He greatly valued the time he got alone with her. Due to their schedules and the constant presences of other individuals in their lives, these moments were rare.

He sat next to her and gave her a lingering kiss. Kuon pulled away. "You look so beautiful tonight Kyoko," he complemented her. As his expected, she blushed a bright shade of red. She didn't try to bite back at his words because she knew how rare this type of moment was. He kissed her again.

"Thank you Kuon," she said in Japanese, "But you are really beautiful tonight. You look just like a fairy prince!" Kuon swore she was swooning, not that he would complain. He was happy to see her happy, even if that meant encouraging her fairytale fantasies.

"How was the party?" Kuon asked her.

"It was really nice, but intimidating! Your parents introduced me to all of their friends," Kyoko answered. "They were all very nice." Her worst sin of the day was lying to him, but she couldn't tell him how jealous she was of his ex-girlfriend. That wasn't a good look for a proper Japanese lady.

"Was she the one who introduced you to the models, or did they come to see you?" Kuon questioned. It was obvious he knew there was something up.

Kyoko didn't know how to answer. She scooted back on the leather seat, scared that he knew too much already. "Claire-san, who you've worked with, was wondering about my relationship with Ren, so they ended up having a conversation with me."

Kuon wasn't convinced. He knew something, but he wouldn't get to it right away. "Did you meet my ex-girlfriend?"

Kyoko nodded. "She was nice…" Even if he had discovered the lie, it didn't mean she wanted to seem rude. She was gorgeous - he had to still think about her on some level.

He moved closer and hugged her, worried Kyoko was thinking he still saw his ex as better than her. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't think Mom would dare invite her, but I guess she didn't think about what top models to specifically invite."

They sat like that for a minute before Kuon got to ask his question. Kyoko began to relax as she once again forgot about Kuon's ex in his embrace. "So, why were you hanging out with them again?" He raised an eyebrow, as if to remind her he knew she wasn't telling the whole story. Her intent wasn't malicious, but he liked to see her squirm and dance around the story out of embarrassment. In this case, since he knew the truth, he found it incredibly endearing. "Lory did say you got a new job aside from the movie audition on this vacation."

Kyoko's blush returned. "Mom's colleagues invited me to participate in a modeling campaign targeted for Japanese women around my age."

"And what company would that be for?"

"Oh! Lay off her Kuon," Julie said as she got into the car. The surprised younger couple scooted apart and froze. Kuu slid in behind her and wrapped his arm behind his wife. The chauffer shut the door behind them and went to begin driving.

"Kuon, you know as well as I do that Lory sent you those photos," Kuu said causing Kyoko to turn red as a tomato and curl up into a ball on the seat. Kuon tried to make a snarky comment back, but nothing would come out. Kyoko was embarrassed. He should be helping her, not teasing his parents. "I'm assuming you liked them." Unless he was teased himself. But he needed to do damage control. He couldn't imagine how much more embarrassed that statement made Kyoko feel about this job.

"It's okay, Kyoko," Julie said. "Isn't it a good thing that Kuon liked them a lot? After all, now you know what to wear for him."  
Kyoko looked up horrified. "B- but! It's so embarrassing Mother! A proper lady shouldn't dress like that."

Julie raised an eyebrow, "Even for her boyfriend or husband?"

Kyoko blushed while Kuon tried to calm her down. It didn't work that well. Kuon's poorly disguised look of lust that flashed on his face certainly indicated he was interested. Once again, Kyoko curled into a ball and tried to escape the Emperor of the Night.

"Ah, well, maybe in a year or two. You both know I can't wait forever for grandchildren, but I guess you're still a bit young for it," Julie said. That didn't help either. Kuu's desperate attempts to get her to shut up hadn't worked yet. That snapped Kuon out of his lust and made him have to work hard to hide his embarrassment. He gave his father another point to tease him about. That was not what he wanted to do.

"So, nice of you to come, Kuon. Where do you plan to sleep? We put Kyoko in your room," Kuu said. He realized what he said too late, and Kyoko's blush somehow got deeper. To add to her embarrassment came the images that came with the implied proposition.

"I'll sleep in the guest room," Kuon said. "I'm perfectly fine with not sleeping in my old room. I wouldn't want to bother Kyoko's rest." That was the opposite of what he wanted, but he would have to hide it. Kyoko wasn't ready for anything of that nature yet, and that was part of why he liked her.

* * *

Sure enough, that was where Kuon spent the night. His parents came to wake him and Kyoko up early in the morning so they would make their flight back to Japan. Kuon was slightly horrified to find that yesterday's text from Lory had not been a dream. It was evidenced by Kyoko's brand new Veronica's Stash duffel bag which, along with her new luggage set, appeared to be stuffed with new clothes and accessories. He had to help her check the bags in, but she paid the extra bag fees.

On the other end of their long flight, Kuon felt reenergized watching Sebastian and Yashiro drag her luggage to Lory's awaiting limo. His mom may have bought or influenced much of that luggage, but that didn't mean he had to deal with it. Well, maybe he did. Kyoko didn't have enough room to keep all those dresses and skirts in her small room at the Daruma-ya. He could store it at his place. It would give Kyoko an excuse to come over more than she already did. He figured he would ask her tomorrow, as she was now asleep for the car ride home.

In California, Kuu and Julie sat cuddled on the couch, waiting for a call to tell them that their children had gotten home safely. Julie began to cry once again as Kuu stroked her hair.

"Even if it was only for a night, I am so happy that Kuon trusted us enough to come back," Julie said.

"It was quite the surprise," Kuu said. "I couldn't have asked for a better anniversary present."

Julie nodded.

"I wonder if Kyoko knew? She knows Ren is Kuon," Kuu pondered.

"I doubt we'll ever know. She's too good of an actress and too good of a girlfriend to him. If she didn't know, she certainly hid it well," Julie said. "Let's just be grateful for the surprise we got." Kuu nodded and kissed her. Only ten minutes later Kuon called to confirm both children had arrived safely at home. Finally they could rest.

* * *

 **A/N:** Long chapter is long. I hope you enjoyed!


	5. Reminding Kyoko

**A/N:** I hope you enjoy the chapter. This (and the next chapter or few) will be a bit spread out in time so we can skip more everyday stuff. I don't think Kyoko and Ren would be taking steps in their relationship that quickly. As much as I love fluff and such for this pairing, I think with how long it took them to get together it will take even longer for any more than basic physical affection. That means the skipping will lessen the wait for more fluff.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

Kyoko had not been home for a week when Lory called her to his office. Of course, as per Lory's tendencies, he had sent Sebastian and his limo to the Daruma-ya to pick her up. Expecting to return to school that day, Kyoko was dressed in her school uniform, but Lory had insisted she should dress nicely for now and return to school later. She rushed to do so and stuffed her uniform unceremoniously into a duffel bag to bring with her purse and school bag.

Outside Sebastian rushed to put her bags into the trunk before speeding off towards LME. On the ride Kyoko wondered what trouble she was in. Was Lory angry at her for auditioning for jobs in LA? Was her behavior at the party wrong? Did the press catch onto Kuon's identity because she stayed with him at the party? She meekly exited the limo with her head down. Sebastian took her bags up to the office while she clung nervously to her purse. Almost immediately upon arrival the doors opened to reveal Lory busily working at his desk. He didn't even have time to notice her - that was surely a bad sign, Kyoko thought.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan," Lory said. "Please sit down. Did you have a good trip to America? I saw you were busy."

Kyoko nodded and smiled at the memories of her trip. Nerves couldn't taint her perfect vacation days with her parents - particularly when they had her made up like a fairy princess.

"We have something important to discuss in regards to our activities."

Reality rushed back with Lory's words. Kyoko gulped to brace herself for whatever punishment she was in for.

"In regards to the audition for the Hollywood movie you participated in. The casting director called me early this morning to offer you the role," Lory said.

Kyoko's eyes widened in surprise. That wasn't supposed to happen. She wondered if Lory was bluffing. "Really?" She asked him, halfway between denial and amazement.

"Yes. I called you into my office today because they wanted you to read and sign the contract. They intend to announce your casting along with that of Ren today," Lory explained. "So would you like to do that now?"

Kyoko knew she had to make the decision quickly and fell back on Kuu's advice not to turn down any role. She was nervous to appear in an American film, but knew it was a great opportunity. One she would surely mess up. But saying no would disappoint Kuu, so she had to say those words. "I'll do it." So she did. It was a bit hard to read the contract, which was in English, but Lory helped her work through it in its entirety. Anxiety tainted the experience as she wondered what it entailed. Even if he said he would help her, she knew Lory would leave out any details of the contract that may bring her and Ren closer together. She signed the line and Lory picked up his phone to call the casting director. The signed contract was given to Sebastian for immediate faxing to the movie studio. There was no turning back now.

* * *

Later during lunch time at school, Kyoko's phone began to buzz so much it fell off her desk. The texts were from colleagues, LME coworkers, and her landlords congratulating her on the role. Apparently the press release had been published as soon as she left LME to go to school. She felt so overwhelmed with the attention she wanted to throw her phone against a wall and creep into a corner to sulk.

At school it only got worse. Her classmates got the news as well, apparently, and their reactions were mixed. Some congratulated her enthusiastically while others gave her flat words of support for the sole purpose of decorum. A few glared at her jealously from across the room. There was nowhere for her to hide from their auras, dripping with hatred for her. If she wasn't overwhelmed earlier, that certainly did the trick. The one reaction she looked forward to – Ren's – did not come until the end of the lunch hour. His text simply read:

 _Would you like to have dinner with me to celebrate? I will treat you._

She texted him back to confirm she would like to do so. Hopefully spending time with him would take weight off of her shoulders.

 _Good. I'll pick you up after school. I'll be parked in the alley behind the main building._

Kyoko waited as patiently as she could for school to end and tried to quietly sneak off campus so she could meet with Ren. A calm dinner called to her weary mind. What she didn't anticipate was the small group of reporters waiting to follow her when she escaped off campus. Their presence turned her quiet excitement into a carefully controlled rage. She politely apologized, perfect smile plastered on her face for effect, and excused herself as late to a meeting with a colleague before running to the alley to hop in Ren's car. She panted in an attempt to cool her overworked brain down. It didn't work. At this rate, Kyoko wondered if she would be better off if reporters were zombies. Probably, she concluded. They couldn't take pictures or ask questions. A few reporters attempted to follow, but were stopped by the prospect of interviewing her classmates about her. Of course, they wanted the attention for themselves and dodged Kyoko-related questions.

Exhausted, Kyoko collapsed into Ren's passenger seat.

"Are you okay, Kyoko?" Ren put his hand to her forehead to check for a fever. His voice calmed her down quite a bit mentally, but physically she was still cooling off.

"Sorry. Reporters. I had to run," she gasped out.

"Well, then. Why don't we work to get out of here quickly as well?" Ren suggested. Sympathizing with her, he knew he should try to get her out as fast as possible. He drove without asking her where she would like to eat. The car parked in front of the small family restaurant Kyoko and Ren had shared a meal at soon after they first met. "I figured it would be fitting to eat here," he explained. That wasn't the case - it was him going to the first place to pop into mind. Kyoko nodded in agreement. Both of them put on glasses and hats Ren had stashed in his car before entering. The paparazzi were probably all still at her school, but it wouldn't surprise Ren if a few had managed to follow, so he insisted on the measures.

They were quickly seated in the most isolated booth for maximum privacy from any press that may have caught on. The hostess certainly did, considering she sat them there without any specific requests. For that, Ren and Kyoko were grateful. She took their drink order quickly and alerted their waitress to take the food orders. With her professional manner, Ren suspected the family restaurant was more popular with the celebrity crowd than he knew. Frankly, he didn't know much about the eating habits of his peers since he hardly ate himself. Now he could turn his attention to Kyoko with little fuss.

"So how has your day been, Mogami-san?" They still addressed each other formally in public for protection from both Lory and the press. A few honorifics could go a long way with the press, and a short way with Lory. But it had worked so far, and for that they were relieved.

"I signed the contract this morning," she replied. "I was very surprised to get the role, but I'm grateful that I did."

"You shouldn't be surprised, Mogami-san. You're very talented. After you left, they asked me if I knew you and why I hadn't recommended you with the enthusiasm Kuu had," Ren said. Kyoko blushed. "I didn't recommend you because I knew Kuu would have been so pushy about it that if I had advocated for you they may have not let you audition out of annoyance at hearing about you. I couldn't jeopardize your chance at the role like that." No matter how many times Ren assured her he loved her, Kyoko would always be surprised at the lengths he went for her. She would do the same for him, but he was savvier, better at the game than her, so he was willing and able to do more.

"Thank you, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko said. She had her suspicions that Kuu had annoyed them into letting her audition, and thanked her lucky stars neither Ren nor Kuon had gotten that from his father. "Did your day go well?"

He nodded. "When a day ends with seeing you, it has always gone well." Kyoko turned her head away at the overly cheesy statement. That was another thing she may never get used to with him. Kuon was suave, but his Japanese wasn't good enough for good flirting in the language. His roles hadn't been a help at all, considering the types he usually played.

"So you don't have any more work to do today?" Kyoko asked him, curious as to how his evening was cleared.

"No. However, I do have to start filming for my new drama tomorrow," He sighed. The drama would cut back on evenings like this, with many night shoots involved.

"Won't that conflict with the American film?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Kuu and I both have conflicts this fall, and you will with your roles in Japan and your new modeling job. Because of that, we won't be leaving for America until late November," Ren explained. "Filming for the movie will last until January or February, but I don't know what the exact dates are." While he would be in Japan with Kyoko longer, he would also have to wait longer to spend time on set with Kyoko.

"That's good," Kyoko said. At that time the waitress came to bring drinks and take their orders. They both ordered the same orders as the last time they had gone to the same restaurant and the conversation resumed.

"Are you nervous?" Ren asked her. "This must be a surprise." To be honest, he thought he was more nervous than her, but he wouldn't admit that. She would end up reacting badly to it one way or another. It could be putting herself down, excessively praising him, and/or ranting. The list went on and on.

"A bit. But it's a good role. There's no way I could turn it down," Kyoko said. "I think the story is important." Kyoko hadn't grasped the full story because she had only learned about her role, but she knew the strong impression her role made on her considering their similarities. She had to do well.

Ren nodded. "I'm a bit nervous as well." That slipped out. He wouldn't mention it was because he (or rather Kuon) knew several members of the crew. If they had noticed, they hadn't mentioned it. They hadn't seen him since he hit puberty, so hopefully his appearance had changed enough. The haircut and contacts probably helped as well.

"But you're an amazing actor! There's nothing to worry about," Kyoko assured him, beginning to praise him as he had feared. Once again she had the look of a worshipping subject of Ren, not as his girlfriend. In the past Ren would've been happy about that, but now that they were dating he felt it created unnecessary distance between them.

"You're just as good as me, Mogami-san. You'll do a wonderful job," Ren complimented her, hoping to stop her rant of (what he thought of as) insanity. She blushed red and stopped in her tracks. "However, we need to discuss something about that. Would you mind coming to my apartment with me tonight?"

Although she was hesitant to do so for many reasons, Kyoko nodded to indicate she would. Was this when Ren would break up with her unworthy self? Would the paparazzi catch her leaving Ren's building? Did Ren expect her to give him more than a kiss on a date like she heard American men did?

After a silent dinner was a quiet ride back to Ren's apartment. He welcomed her in as usual, but Kyoko didn't take her shoes off. When he noticed her hesitance to enter, Ren kneeled down to take her shoes off personally. He hoped she didn't realize that he was able to see up her skirt when he glimpsed up at her face during the untying process. Even if she did, he would never admit it. Kyoko refused to move even after her shoes were removed. She had too many thoughts running through her head to think about walking. Ren picked her up and put her onto the couch. He kissed her on the forehead, but sat in a nearby chair after feeling her flinch. He couldn't scare her. Once again he found himself wondering why he was so bad at spitting things out. That obviously hurt Kyoko. Any words that came out always came out wrong.

He leaned forward to grab her hand. "I love you Kyoko, more than ever, but I wanted to discuss something with you."

She nodded solemnly. It was still not good. This couldn't be good.

"I'm sure you understand that there's rumors about you and Tsuruga Ren, and we've done a good job at preventing those from getting overblown. However; there's a new rumor starting in America," Ren said to the wall. He couldn't face her with this; it was his fault, after all. "Because I was foolish enough to stay with you at Mom and Dad's party, the tabloids in America think that you are dating Kuon. I'm incredibly sorry to hurt your reputation like this." He tried to imitate one of her overly polite bows on the floor, as if to show how badly he felt. Of course, this was where his American side showed. In roles he could perform the act flawlessly, but here he looked like a pile on the floor. Kyoko found it slightly endearing.

Kyoko looked slightly relieved, if confused. "But I am dating Ren, who is…" She stopped in realization. They thought she was two-timing Ren with Kuon! Kyoko didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the she absurdity of the situation and her lack of faith in Ren's feelings. This wasn't a discussion to break up – it was one to help protect her reputation. "It's my fault though, I hung out with you at the party too long!"

He moved to sit on the couch next to her now that she had calmed down. "It's okay. It's okay," he said as he rubbed her back, trying to make her feel better. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have shown up. And whoever told the press we were together. This makes things a bit more difficult, but we can get through it."

Kyoko sat up to listen. Now that she had him, she wanted to make sure she could keep him, even if her confidence didn't assure her she could.

"We'll have to be careful to make sure that neither relationship gets any evidence to the press. Half the tabloids say we were together at the party due to us being "siblings;" the other half think we are dating or married. In Japan we can probably just continue as we are – with the honorifics. We should be more careful when you come here so they don't notice. They'll be waiting outside for me. In America, the paparazzi is much more intense, and the rumor-mill never stops. On set, we'll have to be even more careful to act like simple colleagues," Kyoko nodded. "Off set, we can't be together outside of the presence of other cast and crew so it never looks like a date."

They sat, contemplating this. Ren didn't like his plan, but he knew it was best. Kyoko would have to accept the plan, if only because she knew Ren knew infinitely more than her regarding these matters.

"I'll also be away a lot more than you for filming. I play the lead, so they need me on all filming days November to February, but your role is slightly smaller, so you probably won't be on set as much," Ren said. Kyoko looked devastated. She was being abandoned again, now by Ren, even if it was only because he had to leave for work. "Every day we're apart, I'll call and text you to assure you that I'm okay."

Kyoko's face seemed relieved. Ren was thankful technology allowed him to reassure her of his love every day, not for his sake, but because he knew she had been abandoned too many times. Kyoko needed his presence. She kissed him quickly before curling up on his lap. After what felt to be a short time curled up together, Ren kissed her head and began to pick her up so she would be standing. He would've much preferred things stayed that way all night, but he knew how her leaving in the morning would look to any story-hungry reporters.

"I'm going to drive you home now. Security just turned away the first reporter waiting outside the building to interview me about the movie. I want you to be home safe before there's enough to snap a picture of you leaving my apartment," Ren explained before kissing her again. He helped her put her shoes on and took the elevator to the basement with her. On the drive to the Daruma-ya Ren took back roads and alleys to avoid any reporters. Eventually he dropped her off a block from the restaurant. He watched as she turned the corner to her home. Someday he wouldn't have to be so discrete. Unfortunately that wasn't today.

* * *

As Ren promised, there was a few barely hidden paparazzos waiting for her outside of the restaurant, and a crowd outside of LME. A few looked foreign, hungry to get information about the new faces they'd be seeing in the Hollywood movie. Once safely inside Kyoko practically sprinted up to Sawara's office to get away from them.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan," Sawara said as he looked up at her, "It's good to see you. I was worried you wouldn't get here with all the reporters outside."

"Good morning, Sawara-san," Kyoko greeted in return. She was as relieved as he was that she had gotten inside unscathed.

"Due to your busy schedule over the winter, you will be suspended from all Love ME assignments starting in November," Sawara-san said. Kyoko gagged in shock. "So Lory expects you to work hard until then."

"I'll do my best," Kyoko recited. She didn't want to leave her friends to the pink curse, but it appeared only temporary.

"I don't quite know how he expects you to do that, though," Sawara admitted. "You'll be pretty busy here as well. I had to turn down many offers for you due to your schedule."

"Don't I just have two dramas right now and Bo?" Kyoko asked. She had taken fewer roles this fall so she could focus more on her last semester of school. One of the roles (a lead one) would be done filming by the end of the month while the other was a supporting role.

"Yes, well, Veronica's Stash will keep you busier than anticipated."

Kyoko forgot about that. A look of dread crossed her face. That was not the news she wanted or needed right now.

"They need you to come in tomorrow after your drama shoot for the test shots for the hair and make-up, then again next Saturday to do the photoshoot for their Japan line," Sawara explained. And more news she didn't need - the true torture would be starting soon. Sooner than she anticipated.

"T- that's not too bad. That's only two things for them, right?" Kyoko said. She felt lucky there wasn't more.

"There will be four more that I know of. In two weeks you are going to Hawaii to do a swimsuit shoot, then in August some time you will be doing a sleepwear and active wear one. In September you'll be doing the Christmas line, and in October the shoots for the fashion show will take place. In early November you'll be spending a week in New York to prepare for the fashion show."

There was more. "That's it then?" Hopefully it wouldn't get any worse.

"If the campaign goes well enough this fall, there's an option in your contract for you do model the Valentine's Day line and next year's swimwear."

"Oh," Kyoko said. Maybe the movie schedule would help her get out of the Valentine's Day photos? "Tsuruga-san told me that shooting for the movie would be from late November until early February. Wouldn't that not leave enough time for the Valentine's Day shoot?"

Sawara looked a bit surprised she knew that. "Well, Tsuruga-san has to be there for most of the shooting schedule, except for two weeks on Christmas and New Year's." Kyoko wanted to smile, but she knew she shouldn't show any excitement. "You are only scheduled for location shoots the first week of December and the month of January in a studio. There will be time in December." She wondered if there wasn't another way to get out of this - an unshapely bruise or a temporary tattoo she could acquire for the month of December?

In the background, someone called Sawara's name. Kyoko tried to sneak out to plan.

"Before you go, here's the information for tomorrow," Sawara said as he handed her a piece of paper. "I'll provide you more information about the other assignments later."

Kyoko sulked out, suddenly smacking her head even more for taking Julie's offer. One embarrassing shoot was enough, but five and a fashion show? That was too much. But she knew she couldn't turn down an opportunity, especially one with this famous a brand, so she would have to do it.

* * *

 **A/N:** That took a while. The next chapter will happen eventually, and will be a bridge between now and the start of the filming.


	6. Surprising Confidence

**A/N:** This chapter was meant to show time passing and a bit of maturing on Kyoko's end. It's mentioned at the end A/N as well, but there will be a part two.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Surprising Confidence (Part One)**

Kyoko walked into the studio for the second time. The hair and make-up test went well, so now it was time to model whatever scandalous things the Veronica's Stash staff thought would be good for the Asian market. After finding the dressing room, the make-up artist got to work on her. She felt as if she was sitting for her execution, or at the very least her trial. She wasn't ready for what she would be facing.

In the middle of her long, miserable stay in the make-up chair Kyoko was greeted by a woman she had met briefly during the previous shoot. She believed the woman was the one at the helm of the company's Asian expansion. In order to look professional, she put all thoughts of dread from her mind and smiled.

"Nice to see you today, Kyoko," the woman in business attire greeted her. "Today, you will taking pictures for the store window posters and magazine cover. You will not have to model all the individual items. The online store and the magazine will have all items sold around the world modeled by our other models. I believe there's six looks you will be doing today that are excusive to the Asian collection, and we'll be photographing the items individually for the website and magazine along with the ads."

Kyoko greeted in turn, and an assistant brought in a clothing rack filled with frilly small garments for her to put on. She looked away, not wanting to see what she would be subjected to.

"All the hangers are labeled for the set they go to. They are also hung numerically so you know what to change in to. The hair and make-up staff will do touch-ups and changes while you switch outfits so it will go faster," the businesswoman explained. "I'll leave you to change." Now Kyoko was really left to the mercy of the metaphorical sharks, if that was what she could call the designers.

Hair and make-up done, Kyoko looked at the first set of hangers. A sky blue push-up bra with white lace trim was paired with a sky blue and white lace thong. She blushed at the thought of wearing that as the first outfit of the shoot until an assistant brought in an extra hanger for the set. It held a sky blue chiffon miniskirt with a white lace trim. The skirt was see-through, but it counted for something. She put the ensemble on, donned the pink striped robe they had given her, and slowly walked towards the set. She couldn't show her fear.

The set was decorated in a pink backdrop with heart-shaped balloons and the company's signature dog plushies on the ground. An assistant asked her for her robe as she stared. The first pictures she had been able to rely on Setsu or Natsu for. This one was going to have her acting cute in such scandalous clothes. She had no idea what to do.

"Mogami-san? Is something wrong?" The assistant asked her.

"Ah, no. I'm sorry," Kyoko said. She slowly took the robe off and handed it to the assistant. Kyoko walked towards the set and tried to bring up the feeling of the soda commercial she'd done with Kanae. In her embarrassment about her outfit she couldn't get the character right. She had to focus. Five minutes of unsuccessful test shots later, she began to realize more what she needed. She had to feel the happiness she felt when she got her first female friend in Moko – that feeling of fun and anticipation of sleepovers and girl talk.

In her remembrance, Kyoko began to dance across the stage, hugging plushies and tossing balloons. Her brilliant smile lit up the studio as she jumped up in the air. Eventually, the photographer knocked her out of her reverie by calling cut.

She almost collapsed, exhausted, before the businesswoman reminded her they needed shots of each individual item. This time she could at least stand still and let them move her to the angle they wanted in front of a white backdrop. It was easier this way, if slightly more embarrassing to have people touch her near-naked body.

The next two ensembles, a pink striped robe and a pink and white ruffled set, were taken with the same balloons and plushies, but on a sky blue background. A white set adorned with hot pink bows was photographed in front of a black screen, as was a lilac and black lace nightie. Outfit after outfit and set after set came and went before the day was over. By the last few outfits, Kyoko was too tired to be embarrassed. She focused on getting things right the first time so she wouldn't have to do them again.

She was sure just about every part of her body had been photographed by now in every pose imaginable. It made her blush just thinking about it. Maybe she should practice to ensure she was perfect on every shot. She knew she couldn't do it. If she did, it wouldn't matter. Posing alone in front of a mirror was different than posing in front of a camera crew. To make it worse, she would be expected to do this again.

* * *

Do it again she did only two weeks later. At least this time it wasn't underwear. They paid her first-class ticket to Hawaii for the swimsuit photoshoot and upon arrival she was immediately carted off to the spa by their representatives waiting to give her another one of those evil waxes Julie first subjected her to. Afterwards, as if they needed to give her an apology she was given a massage and facial. That didn't make Kyoko any happier about the wax, but it certainly did relax her.

She was guided to a luxurious suite to stay in for the night and immediately fell asleep on the bed due to her jetlag. Only an hour after she fell asleep she was awoken by the ringing of her phone. She opened it to see that Ren was calling. He must've been on his lunch break – it was dinner time in Hawaii, so it was mid-day in Japan. It would be a relief to hear his voice after her long day. She picked up the phone.

"Have you eaten yet?" Kyoko instinctively asked him. It was embarrassing that that should be her first question, but she knew Yashiro wouldn't ask it.

"Hello to you too, Kyoko," Ren greeted with a hint of amusement. "How's Hawaii?"

"All I've really done is sleep. The shoot is tomorrow, though there's something tonight as well. I think there's a perfume ad? They're doing more the day after tomorrow for that as well," she said. She left out the spa. He knew his mother and the industry well enough to have suspicions about spa trips, and she didn't want him to know she was subjected to something so embarrassing.

"It's too bad you'll be too busy to enjoy Hawaii. We should go there on vacation some time," Ren suggested. Although he couldn't see her, he knew Kyoko was blushing at the suggestion of a romantic tropical vacation for just the two of them.

"H- how is your day going?" Kyoko asked to distract from the possibility.

"I'm eating a bento Yashiro brought me. We're on a break from filming a drama right now," he said. He was _technically_ telling the truth - if eating only one item from a bento counted as eating it.

"Is the filming going well?"

"One actor in particular has been causing a lot of NGs, so it's been a bit slow. I believe we're going to try to film a different scene this afternoon and go back to that one tomorrow," Ren said. Kyoko heard Yashiro's voice in the background asking Ren to come back to set. "Apparently they've changed their minds, so I need to be back on set immediately for the scene. I'll call you tomorrow." He had switched to English and didn't say her name in any capacity, so Kyoko assumed Yashiro was still in the room. "I love you," he whispered into the phone. "Have a good night."

She repeated the same to him in Japanese before he hung up. It was almost a relief to not talk to him too long. She was too tired to give him her full attention, and she didn't even know when she would be needed for her own work.

After the call she couldn't bring herself to go back to sleep. Before going to scout out dinner she cleaned up her appearance so she wouldn't look terrible. In the lobby she found the hotel restaurant and sat down. She was shocked by the exorbitant prices on the menu, but upon hearing her room number the host assured her that all her expenses were covered. Kyoko ordered the only dishes on the menu she could identify by name for dinner so she could have some familiarity before a stressful weekend. At the end of dinner, she got a text reminding her to meet the hair and make-up crew in the lobby. She worried that she was late so she ran only to find that everyone else had been running later than her. Of course, her proper manners reminded her that even if everyone was late, it didn't make her lateness any better.

When they did meet her, they led her up to another hotel room. It was not set up to do make-up in, but instead looked like a hotel room. This confused Kyoko - wasn't there supposed to be a special set up for this? The décor was closer to that of a normal bedroom than her suite, but it was still expensive in taste. She was sat in front of the mirror while the single make-up artist applied minimal make-up that made her look natural. Her hair was being tousled around to look as if she had just woken up. That made her nervous - natural and sexy told Kyoko this would be one of those overly sexy shots she only saw in women's magazines Kanae left lying around.

"Kyoko," the director of the shoot told her as she entered, "You can keep whatever you have on from the waist down, but we'd like it if you would take your top off. You'll take the pictures in the bed." He noticed Kyoko looked a bit freaked out by the prospect, so he assured her nothing would actually show. "We'll also wait outside so you can get under the covers until you're ready for pictures." She nodded and he and his crew left.

Kyoko slowly took off her bra and shirt. She neatly folded them and placed them on the bathroom counter before moving over to the bed. Instead of lying down, she stared nervously.

"Are you ready for us to come in?" Came a voice from the hall, causing Kyoko to jump up in surprise.

"One minute," Kyoko squeaked back before jumping under the covers. "I'm okay now," she said. She was clutching the sheets to her chest and lying with the rest of her body stiff as a board as they entered for maximum coverage. Unfortunately, the set dressers quickly began to mess around with the sheets to make the scene more risqué. Kyoko didn't want to think about what kind of scene she had to portray. Wearing the lingerie was embarrassing, but it didn't come close to being portrayed in this light. She'd never even done anything like this before!

A long five minutes later the director informed Kyoko that it was time to take the pictures. The first few poses were from her imagination of a scenario like this. Kyoko sprawled her arms around her head and put on a sexy expression with her eyes half shut. That only led to a few good poses in the end. Needing to try something new she imagined how Natsu would feel after sleeping with a guy – playful yet confident, as if she was about to ditch the boy sleeping next to her. At the next call of the photographer for a different pose, she sat up in bed and ran a hand through her hair, leaving only one arm clutching the sheet to her chest. On her face was a sly smile, teasing the camera.

"And that's all we needed for that!" The director called out. Kyoko thanked her lucky stars. "Get her into the next outfit quickly so we can finish early," he ordered his staff.

Without any of the previous consideration for her privacy, the make-up artist began to add more make-up to her face before she could leave the bed. A wardrobe person brought a series of robes to put on her. The hair stylist fitted a straight black wig to her head. They were surprisingly efficient, considering that she was struggling to keep upright while holding the sheet to her. She swore she was shaking from the discomfort of it all. The make-up artist and stylist were both American, making Kyoko even more intimidated - she told herself that they wouldn't be holding the sheet up; they would be confident.

The hair and make-up crew finally stepped away before the stylist ripped the sheet away from her and began to carefully layer the robes so that they looked like an empresses' formal outer wear. The speed with which she did this didn't leave Kyoko with any time to blush at her exposed chest, although Kyoko did note more cleavage was involved in this case. She was directed to walk to the balcony, where the sun was setting creating a beautiful splash of colors in the sky. This time posing was easier. She soaked up the last rays of the sun gleefully for the camera and let the breeze roll in to blow the bottom of the robes back into the room. It left her sad when they called the shoot after only two poses. Finally she was covered up and happy, and they didn't want her to spend time in that outfit.

"These pictures are perfect, Kyoko," the director complimented her. "Your efforts saved us a good amount of time tonight, and got us a sunset shot. We were looking for one at twilight, but these shots ended up better than what that would've been. Keep up the good work tomorrow. You're free for the night after you change."

* * *

The shoot on day two for swimsuits was much more fun. Even if the swimsuits were occasionally a bit skimpier than Kyoko wanted to be seen in, they were explicitly and undeniably swimsuits, not underwear or lingerie. Instead of the sexy poses she had done before, now she was encouraged to play in the shallow water and walk on the beach. In the afternoon the crew moved from the beach to the pool for the shoot, where they had her lounge on the beach chairs with fancy drinks and stand at the top of the waterslide. The fun nature of the shoot and the sweetness of the juice drinks made her wonder why she couldn't do this more. Maybe there would be a tropical movie for her to star in someday.

After dinner, they drove her out to a rocky beach. This time they tousled her hair like the night before, but they sprayed it with water to make it appear she had just gotten out of the water. A tent was set up for her to change in, and her make-up was left untouched from the earlier shoot despite being messy. Kyoko dreaded what was coming: if she was correct, this would be where the truly scandalous swimsuits would come into play. The stylist pulled the rack of swimwear out of the car, and here they came.

The sun began to set as Kyoko quickly changed and slowly walked out of the tent in the first swimsuit (if she could call it that) for pictures. They directed her to a rock under a larger formation. How could she be sexy on a rock? She tried to channel Natsu, but it wasn't helping her get a good pose. Even if she was sexy, Natsu was more of a high fashion model as opposed to a strictly sexy one. It helped her with the lingerie, which could be high fashion, she had no idea what Natsu would do in a swimsuit. In a beach episode Kyoko figured Natsu would be sitting on the rock or lounging on a beach chair, watching carefully over her "friends" and victims.

She tried to assume a queenly and intimidating pose, but the director kept calling for a sexier pose. When she tried to change position, moisture on the rock caused her to slip. Her head swung back and she let out a gasp of surprise. One hand grasped the rock desperately for the support while the other had inadvertently swung up into her hair. The director apparently liked her slip and quickly yelled out "perfect!" Kyoko tried to recreate the pose, and did so with some success, but the director called for variations on it throughout the shoot with the different swimsuits. It was difficult to imitate that success, but eventually they got the pictures they needed.

The final shot was taken as the sun had almost completely set. Kyoko was entirely unaware of the click of the camera, as it was taken after the last official shot. She was partially silhouetted against the golden rays, curled up on the rock and looking out over the ocean one last time as the sun set. Kyoko had assumed it was a break in the photoshoot, so she was calm and relaxed. It wasn't a sexy shot, per se, but the director knew it was the best shot of the night because it showed off the real personality of his model. As soon as he got back to the hotel, he sent it to everyone he could think of to send it to – Lory on behalf of LME, the catalog staff, the company executives, and more. This shot would be the one to bring him money.

* * *

Kyoko was awoken at 7am for the final round of hair and makeup of the weekend. Her make-up was done in a modern rendition of a geisha's make-up, while she donned a black wig filled with flowers. She was dressed in the costume before they arrived at their destination. To her surprise, it wasn't anything risqué or skimpy, but instead a pink kimono resembling one a girl would wear to her coming of age ceremony, the skirt and sleeves were shorter. Her shoes added to the modern geisha look: they were brown stilettos with black straps mimicking tori sandals.

They took her to a Japanese garden inland from the hotel where they had prepared the camera for her. She was given various props to use throughout the shoot including an umbrella and a bouquet of cherry blossoms. At first she walked around innocently and struck happy poses reminiscent of the Kyurara commercial. There were no comments good or bad, so she was entirely unsure if what she was giving them shots like they wanted.

Hoping to evoke another emotion she hadn't put on camera, Kyoko let Mio take over. Her back straightened into a controlled posture, while her smiles became more polite than genuinely happy. Instead of walking around the garden, Kyoko sat on benches and stood around the tea house looking wistfully out at the koi pond. The director smiled between shots, but still hadn't responded to her poses.

Perhaps sexy was the route to go? That was what the company was known for, and presumably what the perfume was meant to emulate in smell. Natsu made cat-like poses on the wooden benches and touched her lips playfully. Her eyes were lidded and her glances were sideways.

Finally, the director talked. "The shots seem good. Would you like prints of the best shots for your portfolio? I have prints from the last two days for you to bring back with you. While you change at the hotel I can get a few of these ones."

While she didn't want to carry such lewd photos of herself home, she didn't want to be rude, so she accepted his offer. As she got on the flight, Kyoko clutched the thick folder. No one could see these. Even if they probably would eventually.

In Tokyo, a jetlagged Kyoko was pleasantly surprised when Ren personally picked her up from the airport to drive her home despite her flight's late landing time. He even walked her all the way to the Daruma-ya's front door and carried her luggage. Unfortunately both overlooked the folder that was sitting on Ren's passenger seat.

* * *

Despite their busy schedules, Ren and Kyoko found time to have dinner once a week, or rather Yashiro found the time for them. Due to their locations and time constraints, they had eaten at restaurants or in Ren's car outside of fast food joints since she had gotten back from Hawaii. Now it was the last week of August, the night before Kyoko's next modeling session, and they finally had enough time to have Kyoko make a full meal at Ren's apartment.

He was home when she arrived, so they shared a chaste kiss at the door as a greeting. Because they hadn't seen each other in private since Hawaii, both were eager for even a little affection. Kyoko immediately went to work in the kitchen while Ren went to watch the evening news. He always wanted to help, but it always impeded Kyoko's ability to cook, so he had given up trying to help.

When she entered the living room to tell Ren dinner was ready, Kyoko was surprised to see a bit of color – pink – on the wall behind the couch. Ren watched curiously as she went to examine the pictures. Her eyes widened and he smiled. Sure he'd be in trouble, but he wasn't about to take some of his favorite pictures down.

"Where did you get these?" Kyoko asked in shock. The pictures were those she had taken in the Japanese garden. She was too scared to wonder if he had the more lewd ones somewhere else.

"That's my secret," Ren said, putting a finger to his lips as if to emphasize he wouldn't share. Kyoko knew she had to find out.

The gears in Kyoko's brain started to turn. "T- that folder! You didn't see what else was in it, did you?"

The emperor of the night appeared and a sly smile couldn't keep itself off of his face. Kyoko nearly screamed, and ran through the apartment looking for the sexier shots. To her horror, he had framed them. The sexy swimsuit shots were on the walls of his bathroom. The happier ones were hanging nearby. A photo of her on the hotel room balcony with the layers of robes draped over her was in the hallway. The picture she dreaded most was in the place she dreaded most: Kyoko, appearing to be dressed in only a bedsheet, was positioned on the nightstand. She considered ripping it up and throwing it out, but she couldn't bring herself to be that rude to her (former) senpai.

It only got worse when she turned around to find Ren standing right behind her. He picked her up and carried her down the hall back to the table. "I believe you want me to eat? Or would you like me to eat you first?"

Kyoko gulped. She wanted to scream, but he kissed her and sat her down in a chair. He began to hand feed her with his chopsticks. Normally that would make her reprimand him for wasting his food, but this time she blushed and turned her head away. Ren stuffed the rejected food into his mouth.

"So, you have another shoot for them tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yes," Kyoko answered meekly.

"What kind of clothing are you doing? I haven't seen any of their main merchandise lines on you," Ren added. Kyoko was thankful for that. "So have you shot that yet?"

Kyoko nodded. "But I don't know when or where the pictures will debut. Tomorrow I think is pajamas and active wear."

Ren imagined Kyoko in yoga pants. His American colleagues had been raving about how sexy they were. He would be the judge of that as soon as he saw Kyoko in a pair. "Maybe you'll send me a few of the pictures then?"

She sputtered and assured him she wouldn't. She hoped it would be her decision.

* * *

Kyoko wasn't technically wrong – she wouldn't send him a picture of her outfits from the next day – but that didn't mean he wouldn't see them. Ren happened to be doing a magazine shoot of his own in the studio next door, so he stopped by to see Kyoko on his lunch break. She was long done with her active wear shoots, but while she was in her dressing room getting made up for the pajama pictures the photographer's assistant was happy to oblige Ren's request to see the pictures of Kyoko in yoga pants. He decided he could not disagree with the Americans: yoga pants were indeed hot as hell. Hopefully he could convince her to wear them around his apartment.

A squeak drew Ren's attention to the doorway of the dressing room. Kyoko had retreated back in, so all he could see was her head in the crack of the now partially closed door. Just what was she wearing that she didn't want him to see? She said it was sleepwear. A negligee perhaps?

"Tsuruga-san! What are you doing here?" She asked him. She cursed her luck that he was her to see her at one of these photoshoots, but was nonetheless happy to see him.

"It's a lunch break in my schedule. I'm doing a magazine shoot down the hall, so I decided to stop in and say hi," Ren explained innocently. Kyoko didn't fall for it – she knew he wanted to see her in whatever lewd thing they had shoved her in that day. The active wear hadn't been bad. The only times she felt even mildly uncomfortable were in the sports bras. She had showed her stomach enough between Setsu and the other shoots that she didn't find them embarrassing. The poses were also more powerful, and the director gave her much more clear direction on how to pose with the various equipment they gave her to use. The sleep wear was comfortable for the most part: sweat pants and large shirts. On the rack she had seen a few negligees and skimpy nightgowns, but those would be the last done due to the more extensive hair and make-up changes needed. She was thankful for that.

She stepped out to reveal that she was wearing a short pair of green, blue, and white plaid pajama shorts with a cozy crewneck on the top. It wasn't too sexy. "If it's your lunch break, shouldn't you be eating?" Kyoko questioned as she trudged over to the set – a couch covered in blankets. Ren swore she was teasing him as she sat on the couch and took a cute little pose. She didn't think it was cute, just that she was using the blankets to cover up. The photographer began to take photos of her curled up with the blankets, and he knew he should leave. No matter what he wanted to see her in, he knew it would reflect badly on her if he interrupted one of her jobs.

On his way past after his magazine shoot finished, he peered in once more to see if Kyoko was still there. She was lounging on a velvety couch, and her soft pink negligee rode up her thigh dangerously close to her hip. If Yashiro hadn't given him that cheeky grin, Ren swore he would have gone in for a better view. Next time he'd have liked to make sure to have a day off so he could support her, but that would be too suspicious. He swore he would at least get tickets to the fashion show if she was in it. That could be explained as a pit stop in New York with his costar before they left to film in California, not that Yashiro would accept that story.

* * *

Ren was surprised that he was able to watch the Christmas shoot. An interview he had in the building had been delayed, so Ren went upstairs to the photography studios. There was a guard at the door, but he easily got past when he explained he was Kyoko's senpai, coming to offer her valuable modeling advice. He got to give her a few words of advice before she tried to kick him out of the room due to her embarrassment, but he managed to watch her try several looks before his phone buzzed to indicate the interview was beginning. When she would have trouble finding a pose quickly, he'd shout a word or two of inspiration out to her. Usually he reminded her of a character or emotion to evoke and that would be enough. In the end he was the one that needed help: Ren could only hope that before he was bombarded with questions he could get the image of Kyoko in that sexy Santa outfit out of his head. He didn't even have to tell her the pose for that one.

Despite his success at that shoot, a little more than a month later he was barred from entering the room under any circumstance for the fashion show product photography session. He knew they were secretive about the looks, but not this much. He stomped off grumpily, considering his evening off wasted.

Inside the room, Kyoko looked at the rack of lingerie. Some was fun and more conservative like her previous looks, while others would take the cake for the most revealing things she'd dared to wear. All the pictures were taken on a white background, and then on more traditional sets with recliners and tables and blankets and boy's shirts. She was almost disappointed when they didn't smell like Ren.

She walked out the room in each look and quickly found poses for each. There were only five looks for the Asian line being displayed on the runway, so each was given a separate hair and make-up look along with different props and backgrounds for posing purposes. After all, the looks were so different she assumed they were for different themes.

The first was a deep purple kimono-inspired set. The edges of the bra had fake under layers on the edge of the cups to make it look like the neckline of a kimono, while the same fake under layers made a stripe down one of the panty straps where they met the front. The second one was more for everyday wear: it was an orange and pink striped bra and panty set with ruffles added to the edges and pink buttons in front to make them more appealing to the Japanese aesthetic. The third set had hot pink lace and ribbons accenting a plain white bra and panties. A pink and white garter belt with fake corset lacing and the set of white stockings they held up completed the look. A fourth black set was one she swore only Setsu could love: it was the black strappy balconette bra and lace robe from the test shoot, but this time the thong had been mercifully replaced with a bikini style bottom. The stylist had explained that many Japanese women found thongs inappropriate, so they didn't sell well. For that, Kyoko thanked her lucky stars. That inspired the switch for this look, even if the white and pink set still included a thong.

The final look included one as well, but it caught Kyoko's eyes in a way that none of the others had. Before she could wonder if this set had been designed with her in mind, the stylist mentioned that Julie had designed it for the line with Kyoko in mind. Alterations were made for the shoot version from the show version to make this set easier to manufacture for a consumer market. The bra was soft and pink, with a layer of ruched fabric over the cup. The fabric spilled out beyond the confines of gold ribbons emphasizing the outline of the cup to form a layer of ruffles on the bottom and side. The band was made of similar but stretchier golden ribbons, as were the straps. The panties were similarly constructed, but the ruching was only on the front. The stretchy gold ribbons made up the waist band. To cover them was a matching pink petticoat with an intricate gold ribbon waistband and gold lace trim. Pink stockings with gold woven in were the final piece. When the wig was on and a tiara placed on top, Kyoko could swear she was a princess. Even if she didn't like modeling lingerie, this outfit made her feel loved - Julie had made it for her based on her interests. To honor that love she became determined to take the perfect picture. She confidently strode out to the cameras in the look and posed on throne they had set out for her.

The director looked in shock at the confident Kyoko. She had been getting better throughout the course of her employment, but this was the most comfortable she had been in her skin for any shot. Perhaps she should be dressed as a princess more, he concluded. It wasn't often he thought that about women her age. She sat on the throne that was put out for her with perfect posture. In some shots she exuded the confident air of a queen, while in others she let the innocence of a princess seep into her performance. The blushing only came when she was asked to take the petticoat off for a few shots to show off the panties along with a gold-trimmed garter belt made for the retail set.

The director knew that this final set would be a hit: Kyoko sold it well. Because Julie Hizuri had designed the ensemble, he knew she would have to get the sample photos along with the normal fashion show team. She would like it most of all.

* * *

Ren had returned home from a late night of filming, but after seeing his phone jammed with e-mails he decided to turn on his rarely used laptop to do the work. Going through e-mail after e-mail of dull messages from Yashiro about his schedule and inquiries from potential directors made him wonder why he bothered, but he trudged through it. Just as he was about to close his laptop and slump off into bed, one more e-mail came in. He debated not opening it, but quickly decided to get it over with.

He was glad he did.

The e-mail was a forward from Lory, and had originated from his mother. The only words were for Lory, asking him to forward it to her son. What was meant for him was the attachment. Upon opening it, his eyes were greeted with a regal Kyoko in a sexy yet very her gold and pink ensemble. She even had a small tiara on her head. All he had to do now was figure out where to put it.

A devious smile crossed his face, and he shut down the laptop.

* * *

 **A/N:** No, I may never tell you where that picture ended up. In other news, this is getting a bit long so the fashion show will be in the next chapter, and then we'll get on to the meat of the story.


	7. A Surprise Audience Member

**A/N:** That was a long wait for this chapter. I edited the first six chapters slightly, but not too much, so that ate up time, along with an insane schedule. I'll try to get more done sooner. -.-

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **A Surprise Audience Member**

Kyoko's plane touched down in New York after a grueling twenty hours' worth of travel. Thankfully she had gone through customs during the layover in Minneapolis. While her flight from Japan had her in first class, the flight to New York was cancelled and so they simply got her on the first flight out of Minneapolis. Normally she wouldn't complain to be in economy, but it didn't allow her to sleep off too much of her jet lag and she knew she would be expected to be working soon after her arrival in New York.

Thankfully, the driver that had come to pick her up informed her that because she (and her luggage) was delayed, the company had given her some clothes to wear for the day and did not expect her to show up for any work today. He didn't inform her that technically a spa day was not considered work. She could agree it wasn't actually work, but she thought it would have been rescheduled.

During her massage, work appeared anyways. Someone entered the room. Kyoko could hear high heels clack on floor of the hall before the door opened, so she assumed it was a woman. The masseuse didn't react.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Kyoko," the woman said in Japanese. Kyoko couldn't see her, and was slightly disconcerted that the masseuse held her down. That effectively prevented her from doing the bow she considered an automatic part of a proper greeting. Without a greeting other than a squealed out apology, the woman continued. "I'm Sarah Yaguchi, assigned to take care of you during your stay. My Japanese is a bit bad because I was raised in the US, but I hope you can understand me."

Kyoko tried her best to squeak out a nod. "It's nice to meet you," she said in English.

"Because you are not being used for American and European advertising campaigns, you will be on a different schedule than the other models," Sarah explained. "Would you like to hear your schedule now? I also have a printed version to give you." Kyoko once again nodded.

"The show is on Saturday night, although there is an afternoon run through as well. A dress rehearsal will be held Friday along with some promotional filming," Sarah recited. Kyoko listened to the long string of interviews and promotional events, wondering what she would be doing the next day. "You were supposed to do it today, but due to the mix up in your flights, we'll have to do it instead of promo tomorrow. That means you'll only have Wednesday and Thursday to do promo activities. Thankfully it will be pretty light this year – just a few Japanese magazines and style websites, along with an event for American reporters."

Kyoko couldn't figure out what she was going on and on about, but she figured she should just smile and nod in response to appear polite. It was probably something about what her exact schedule was. By the time Sarah left her in her lavish hotel room Kyoko still wasn't sure. She could find it out tomorrow.

* * *

Kyoko was awoken by her alarm. She quickly dressed, but neglected to put on make-up. She figured someone would do it for her later. The company always dictated her looks, so why wouldn't they now?

It was only when she left her room that she began to take in the hotel she was in: the ornate molding on the walls and the fancy carpet made the halls look like those in a palace. The floor's lobby was filled with tables, and a fancy buffet was set out for her. There were no models in sight, but she spotted a perfectly made-up and dressed Sarah sitting at a table in the corner on her laptop. Kyoko picked a modest breakfast of fruit and pastries before sitting across from the taller half-Japanese woman.

"Good morning, Sarah-san!" Kyoko greeted her happily. Despite Sarah's pleas, Kyoko did not feel comfortable simply calling her Sarah. She didn't know if she would ever get used to America's lack of honorifics and liberal use of first names.

"Good morning Kyoko," Sarah replied, caught up in her work. She typed a few more sentences on her laptop before looking up at Kyoko. Kyoko hoped not all Americans were this caught up with her work. "How did you sleep?"

Kyoko thought the question was a bit odd to ask, but responded anyways. "I slept well," she said after swallowing a piece of fruit.

"The rest of the models are busy doing promotion at the store in the city. You will be going to try on the final show looks of those sets you wore for photos," Sarah tried to explain in Japanese. Kyoko had to admit that once they got past pleasantries, Sarah's Japanese could be a bit confusing.

"May you please use English?" Kyoko asked. Sarah looked as relieved as Kyoko felt. Kyoko was sure that she could understand enough English to understand Sarah's words.

"Today will be the fittings for your fashion show outfits," Sarah said. Kyoko began to understand. She at least knew what she would be wearing. Sarah spoke up again, "I'm actually a manager for several of the other models here, so I can only drive you to and from appointments these first few days. You will have to find your way around buildings on your own." She looked at Kyoko as if to look for any sign of distress.

While Kyoko was panicking inside, she knew realistically her English would be good enough to get her through her fittings. "Thank you, Sarah-san," she said calmly, trying not to let her apprehension show.

Sarah looked at her watch and then back up to Kyoko. "Why don't you go get your purse? We need to leave in five minutes."

Kyoko shyly held said item up to show that she had brought it with her already. She also put on the heavy coat left on the back of her chair.

"So you're already okay to go," Sarah exclaimed. She put her laptop away before fussing around getting ready for the outside. Kyoko was curious when she saw a pacifier fall out of Sarah's bag. She reached down to pick it up.

"Umm… Sarah-san," Kyoko said, reaching her hand out to try and catch the attention of the busy woman. Sarah looked up and grabbed it quickly out of her hand before rushing to the elevator. Kyoko tried to hide her reaction. Two years ago, she may have expressed anger at such a reminder of her cruel childhood. Now she knew she had to mask it – Sarah had done no wrong, she was in a rush. Kyoko repeated that in her head until the chill of the fall air brought her to reality.

"My car is here," Sarah said, guiding Kyoko to an expensive black SUV. Kyoko got in, only to see the car messy with toys and baby supplies. "I'm sorry it's a wreck. I had to drop off the kids at daycare before picking you up."

Kyoko cocked her head to the side, confused. She thought Sarah was much too young to have children.

Sarah picked up on Kyoko's confusion, or perhaps she thought Kyoko wanted to know more. "I have two children," she explained. "A boy that's five, and a new baby girl that's six months old. There's a daycare for the models that I take advantage of this week. It's staffed by the interns. I was there once, back in the day, before I got hired…" Sarah's rant about her days as an intern lasted almost as long as the ride. Kyoko never found out exactly how old she was to have children, or even if she was married. Nearing arrival, Sarah finally dropped a hint. "Rarely Julie would bring her son to work when he had days off of school, so I'd have to watch him. He was like eight at the time. A real flirt, that kid. I mean, I wasn't surprised when he grew up to be a charmer by his teen years. Hell, if he was older and I wasn't in college, I totally would've…" Kyoko stopped listening again. She couldn't tell if it was because she was annoyed by the rant or if she just didn't want to hear about Kuon's exes or if that statement was too obscene for her sensibilities. It was probably a combination of those things.

When the car door opened, Kyoko was so consciously avoiding Sarah's words that Sarah had to poke Kyoko with her perfectly manicured finger to get Kyoko's attention. "Well, this is where I leave you," Sarah announced. "I have to go pick up my other clients for a promo interview. Someone will drop you off at your hotel this evening after your fittings are done." Kyoko jumped out of the car as Sarah ran to her door to zoom off. As she drove off, Kyoko barely got her passenger door shut.

If Kyoko had thought the modern white buildings in LA were intimidating, she was certainly more nervous to enter one of the skyscrapers in New York. She walked inside the building, trying to find the office listings on the wall. With no visible sign on the wall, Kyoko approached the large security guard at the desk.

"Umm…" She stuttered, trying to remember her English. "Can you please tell me where the Veronica's Stash office is?"

The man eyed her curiously before writing a note on a small piece of paper with an office and floor number on it. He grunted before pointing to an elevator bay. If Kyoko hadn't felt intimidated before, she certainly felt so now. She quietly snuck off to an elevator and pressed the button to go up. The door opened onto the floor, greeting Kyoko with the sight of a slick desk manned by two perfectly dressed secretaries. She wondered if everyone was perfect in the fashion industry. Everyone she had seen was.

"Kyoko! You're right on time." Kyoko was relieved. She thought all of the talking and traffic on her ride over had made her late, despite her early start. "Which means they're waiting for you," the secretary who has spoken added. Kyoko's heart dropped: she was late to her first big job in America. Once again, she bowed her head as she followed the secretary to a conference room straight out of a TV show.

"-we'll probably have to- Ah! Kyoko! You're here. Why don't you go to hair and make-up? There's a room right down the hall you can use," said a woman she hadn't met before. Kyoko assumed it was the director of the show or a designer. She nodded as the frustrated, put-upon secretary dragged her to a dressing room. Inside sat two more perfect individuals who were talking to each other.

The two perfect stylists spent what felt like the entire morning trying different hairstyles on her. She figured they didn't know she could speak English well. It seemed none of the people here knew but the bosses. The bosses certainly knew Julie, Kyoko figured. The stylists were using their assumption to complain about Kyoko's short hair. Unlike in the photoshoots the stylists planned to use Kyoko's natural hair, which posed a problem: they couldn't do the company's signature style on her. They finally settled on just using a wig, and went to style it while she was given a salad and kale smoothie for lunch. She missed the hearty bentos of Japanese sets.

The afternoon was spent trying on the clothes she had photographed. Each outfit was photographed several times, once for each ridiculous set of accessories she was supposed to don with the lingerie. Eventually, they chose two for her to wear for the show since there would not be enough time for her to change into all of the collection – the other three would be similar enough to other items to put online with no fashion show appearance. Unfortunately that meant the pictures she had taken in them would be featured more heavily in magazines.

For the kimono-inspired set, a delicate flower headband was placed on her temporary wig while a loose silk robe was placed over the top. While Kyoko had tied the robe tightly around her waist to her dismay the director and fashion stylists loosened it so that the bra and panties were on clear display from the front. A fake obi was put around her waist, covering up her stomach. She was thankful for that – there was some semblance of modesty now. Her shoes were a larger problem: they were heels almost as high as her feet were long and dressed up like sandals. The straps went up her legs nearly to the hem of her robe. Kyoko swore she would break an ankle, so she practiced walking in them slowly across the room several times while the assistants were talking.

Apparently they had kept her second ensemble a surprise, because she hadn't seen it yet. She hoped it was the princess ensemble, and when she wheeled it in it was more beautiful than she had imagined. The pink fabric was studded with shimmering gold and pink gemstones, while the gold straps were made of pure gold-dipped fabric. Instead of the simpler strap designs on the set for the store, these had been twisted into beautiful designs: leaves, flowers, and spirals all adorned the belt. Inside the gold, tiny rubies and emeralds provided small amounts of color. On her wig went a shimmering gold tiara to match. A jewelry set more expensive than Kyoko could ever hope to buy adorned her neck, ears, and wrists. On her shoes were gold high heels that were mercifully lower than her other pair. On her back were a pair of gold and pink fairy wings.

Turning to the mirror, Kyoko nearly cried at the beauty of the design. When she saw the consumer design, she was happy to know Julie had designed it with her in mind; when she saw the version she would model, she felt like her mother had given her the best gift in the world. Kyoko stood tall and walked confidently into the room where the stylists were patiently waiting. They were apparently very happy with the way the ensemble had come out, so she didn't wear it nearly as long as the last one. The perfect fit stopped any poking and prodding. For once, Kyoko felt entirely happy taking this job.

She was less happy when the ensemble was taken off and she was rushed to the lobby. A new put-upon assistant shoved her into a waiting hired car and had her taken to the hotel to sleep.

That night, she was tired enough to skip dinner altogether, but she called room service anyways. She knew Ren would tease her endlessly about skipping dinner if he found out. As soon as she was done, she fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning a knock sounded on Kyoko's door at 7am. She regretted that she had to get up to answer it.

"Kyoko? Are you in there?"

She opened the door a crack to find Sarah ready to push her way in.

"So, one of the interviewers had to reschedule, so they'll be here to talk to you in an hour. Get ready!" Sarah shoved a dress bag into Kyoko's arms along with a bag full of make-up. "I figured you didn't have anything… appropriate… for our company's spokespeople." Kyoko wondered what that meant, considering that the whole company only allowed lewd things. Maybe she meant that Japanese style was too conservative? But if Sarah had her way, Kyoko was sure she would be sexy by American standards and possibly indecent by Japanese ones. Sarah was half-Japanese, but she certainly didn't know the culture well.

Out of the dress bag came a body-con dress. Sarah made sure to bring appropriate shaping garments for her as well, although Kyoko had no interest in wearing them. When Sarah threatened to put Kyoko in them herself, Kyoko conceded and dressed in the bathroom. Her hair was done like Natsu's – short but classy, and her jewelry was minimal. Heavy make-up was put on her face by Sarah for added effect. Before they could even get Kyoko's shoes on, Sarah's phone began to ring, indicating that the interviewer had arrived. Kyoko ran out to the breakfast area to find a young woman and a camera man awaiting her.

Although she tended to feel awkward in previous interviews, Kyoko tried to act confident for this one. The dress certainly didn't help, but she persisted. Thankfully, the interviewer stuck to questions about her personality and style. There were hardly any questions about her modeling job, with one exception: to ask how it fit to her personal style. She couldn't say, because she frankly didn't have an answer aside from the fact that it didn't, but she tried to come up with a good answer. Nervous, she blurted out something about how the company had a variety of everyday styles, so she could find something for any character she played. The interviewer was happy with her answer, and ended the interview.

A few pictures taken later, she was rushed back to her hotel room to change. As Sarah hurriedly explained, "A girl can't wear the same dress twice to interviews!" Another hour was spent removing make-up, putting more on, changing her hairstyle, and getting her into another outfit. This time it was a fitted t-shirt with a matching vest and skirt. Sarah then drove Kyoko back to the offices where a conference room was used to shuffle interviewers in and out throughout the day. Despite Sarah's previous explanation, she wasn't expected to change.

In the evening, one of the assistants from yesterday put her in jeans and a company t-shirt before dragging her in front of the company's main storefront in New York City. She was surprised to find herself taking a group photo with all of the company's regular models, but was grateful she could copy their poses. At the end of the shoot, the other models all gathered around her for a special picture to put in Japanese papers. A few separate solo shots were taken in case the papers wanted more.

The next day, Thursday, was when the hard interviews took place. First, she was seated in the posh office of a fashion magazine wearing another bodycon dress. The white, crisp walls and large glass windows were paired with minimalist white furniture. Compared to Lory's office, Kyoko felt that the room was empty and devoid of all character. She felt that way about the interviewer as well. Instead of the playful jokes or respectful chatter she got in Japanese interviews, all of her questions here were very cut and dry: "What's your style? What would you describe as the Japanese style for girls? What American brands do you like?" Nonetheless, Kyoko tried to give a good interview with interesting and entertaining answers. Despite her intelligence, she found it to be a difficult task. Worse, the two interviews with fashion magazines after that one were near identical: similar rooms, interviewers, questions, and answers. She couldn't deny that she was happy to get the exposure.

Her afternoon only had one interview, and for that she was grateful. She didn't know what to expect: the office was full of workers only a few years older than her. Instead of clean white rooms, the building was a wide open converted loft. Splashes of color dotted the rows of computers. Sarah had told her that this company was unique. If Kyoko remembered correctly, it was a popular internet site featuring a wide range of topics. That would explain why Kyoko was participating in a wide range of activities.

First, a blonde woman, barely older than Kyoko, took her to a conference room filled with beanbags and typed as Kyoko tried to come up with things she thought visitors to Japan should do. Unfortunately, the circumstances of her childhood made it so that she hadn't visited much in Japan. It made her feel guilty more than sad, if only because she knew she couldn't give good answers, only a list of things she wanted to do in Japan.

She helped the young author find pictures for the post until another woman with pink and blue dyed hair took Kyoko to a stool in front of a plain blue backdrop. Here she played a game of Never Have I Ever. Although they tried to stray from questions about alcohol and sex because of her young age, they still found ways to embarrass Kyoko. Perhaps the most humiliating was a question about sleeping in bed with an unrelated male. After the woman commented on her bright red face, she had to explain that it was for a role, and that she had never actually fallen asleep. That appeased her interrogator enough to move on.

Her final task was an actual interview. This time, a woman with brown hair did the interviewing in the beanbag room. They offered her snacks and chatted with her first to make her more relaxed for better answers. Unfortunately, the interviewer wanted to know in depth details about her life. Kyoko, still wanting to guard her past, managed to evade questions she was uncomfortable with. She tried to remember her "media training" (another rant from Sarah) so that she could answer questions as vaguely as possible. In her vehement denials of her relationship with Tsuruga Ren and Hizuri Kuon, she lied. Although she usually didn't like to deceive people on principle, she understood why that lie was important. She couldn't feel guilty in protecting Ren's reputation.

In trying to find more information, the interviewer kept Kyoko an extra half hour. Sarah waited at the door with dinner, tapping her foot impatiently. Kyoko was almost dragged out to the car so Sarah could drop her off at her hotel. Instead of turning in early as she had done the first few nights, Kyoko picked up her school books to study until she fell asleep on top of them.

* * *

The recent confidence boost had done nothing to calm Kyoko's nerves as she stood half naked in line with the other models during rehearsal. She watched them strut up and down the runway, acting as happy as could be. They skillfully navigated around dancers, singers, and each other. When her turn came up, an assistant practically shoved her out onto the runway. Her shocked expression played on the big screens, but she tried to ham it up as the other models had as soon as she noticed.

"Keep going, Kyoko!" The director said over the loudspeaker. "Project more! More energy! More confidence!" She tried to channel Natsu, worried to mess up in such an important rehearsal. "Smile more!" Natsu didn't smile much outside of smirks, so that was what came out. "Be happy!" She tried, but it didn't work. She got nervous as she saw one of the executives whisper in the director's ear. "Do it again! Look coy, like a geisha!" He said. Kyoko didn't entirely know what he meant by that, but put on a tight-lipped smile. "Good!" She had gotten to the end of the runway. She had to find a pose to impress. She used the umbrella they had given her to strike a pose similar to one she had seen in many artworks of geisha and courtesans. "Lift up your chest more!" She did that before she heard her cue to walk back down the runway. "NEXT!" The director shouted. Hopefully she didn't screw up too badly.

An assistant quickly dragged her back to a changing tent so she could be put in her princess outfit. The quick change was slightly stressful, but Kyoko managed to get back to the line in time. She was surprised to find she was the last one out for that set. When she stepped on the stage, her nerves were drowned out by the joyful expression on her face. Wearing an outfit her mother had made for her was a dream, and Kyoko lived it as she walked down the runway. If the director said anything, she didn't hear it. As she got off stage, a few of the other models (naked and changing in plain sight of everyone) complimented her on that trip down the runway. She thanked them as she left to change back into the kimono outfit for the second run through.

When their very last rehearsal was over, Kyoko was ready to collapse. She changed into company sweatpants and a t-shirt only to find out that the company's media team had come for a few quick shots at her make-up station. The day of the show could only be worse.

* * *

She was right. The stylists had gotten her up at six for extensive hair and make-up. The first show was in the afternoon, while the main event would be in the evening. What she didn't know was that the backstage dressing room would be so filled with people. There were stylists, make-up artists, reporters, cameramen, photographers, executives, and VIPs swarming around the models, looking for every little detail. Kyoko wondered how she would even manage to change. Maybe today there would be tents or separate curtained areas. A girl could hope, even if she couldn't see them.

The afternoon show assured her of that. The majority of the crowd left to watch the show, so the room was nearly as empty as the day before, and a changing area had been set up. In the calm Kyoko was able to relax so she could put out a good performance on stage.

As soon as the show was over, the crowd returned. With it came more VIPs. This time, Kyoko recognized Kuu and Julie. She knew they would be there, but almost cried with joy to see them nonetheless. The Hizuri couple supported her like their own daughter. It was a feeling that Kyoko wasn't used to, but had warmed up to quickly.

While she was exploding with energy for her encounter with her parents, she felt a dark presence emerge behind her. She recognized who it was – the emperor of the night – but knew Ren wasn't there. Or he shouldn't have been there. He surely had to be in Japan working until he was scheduled for the American movie to start shooting. The man never took a vacation, and no one knew that better than her. Terrified of the sight, she turned around slowly before a grimace met her face.

"Nice to see you, Mogami-san," Tsuruga Ren greeted her, "Lory helped me get tickets to this because he thought I should take a break before we went to filming." Both held straight faces despite their anger at Lory. They both knew why Lory was so 'helpful.' Ren didn't want to take time off, and Kyoko didn't want Ren there to see her in such lewd clothes. So of course this was what Lory would turn into a matchmaking opportunity. Kyoko wished he hadn't.

"Ah, Tsuruga-san," Kuu replied for Kyoko. "It's nice to see you. Will you come with our family to dinner tonight?"

"I am sorry Hizuri-san," Ren sighed. He hated to say this – he knew it was Lory's plan all along. Perhaps he should be trying harder to thwart it. "My hotel booking got screwed up, so now I need to find a place to stay the night. I was hoping to find one after the show."

Julie tried to speak up, but Kyoko's meek whisper caught everyone in their small group off guard. "You can stay with me tonight, Tsuruga-san. We've done it before, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?" Kyoko blushed. Julie and Kuu snapped their heads to Kyoko's face in shock and confusion, but Kuu held Julie back from any questions. Kyoko felt like she was being too forward, too obvious, but she couldn't leave a friend (boyfriend) in the lurch. Unlike Ren, Kyoko had not caught onto the fact that Lory had intentionally screwed up Ren's hotel room booking.

Kuu had his suspicions, but said nothing for he wanted the same result as Lory. "That sounds like a great idea!" He clapped his hands for emphasis. "And you can go with her after dinner." Ren knew why Kuu and Julie couldn't have offered a space in their room, but that didn't stop him from having his own very strong suspicions about Kuu's real motives.

An announcement over the backstage loud speaker advised the crowd to get back to their seats, and mercifully Ren left so Kyoko could once again remove her robe to line up. Company cameras came by to showcase backstage goings on as her make-up and costume had touch-ups made. Once again, she lined up with the other models, but shook with nerves. She could do this in front of a crowd, but in front of Ren? No. Especially not when he was going to be spending the night in her room. An entire night trapped with the Emperor of the Night after this was terrifying. She steeled herself against those thoughts just as they shoved her onto the stage.

Her walk was going well, and the crowd reacted positively. That was, until she reached the end of the runway and saw Ren only a few rows back from the stage. It took all her energy to keep her expression properly tuned. On her way back, it only got worse. Sitting ten rows off to the side was a woman with dark hair in a business suit. Her beautiful face was twisted into an unreadable expression. It was her mother. Why was she here? Kyoko was grateful that she was almost off stage – she could break down after she got off stage to change.

She collapsed as soon as she got off the stairs, but staffers quickly pulled her up assuming she had tripped. As they helped her change into the princess outfit, Kyoko's thoughts tried to justify it. After ambushing her mother at work, their relationship had improved, but Kyoko somehow felt even worse after the discussion. Her mother now ignored her for the most part, with the rare text message to ask about school. That didn't stop Kyoko from feeling more like a burden to her mother than ever – she was an unwanted child fathered by a truly evil man. Of course her mother didn't want her. So why was she here? She'd never shown interest before in any of Kyoko's work in any way Kyoko would notice.

She pushed all those negative thoughts away using what she felt was a "magical" power that came with the fairy princess set, but was once again nervous upon seeing her mother. She changed while the other models did the finale (they had lost her costume in transit and couldn't come up with a new set in time, so she happily declined wearing the US line's options), and checked her text messages for the first time that day. She was surprised to see that her mother had sent her a message that morning.

 _Kyoko:_

 _I was in town for business. Because he heard you were in this show, my colleague gave me a ticket. Do not expect to see me afterwards…_

Kyoko couldn't decide if she wanted to read the last few words. She feared they would hurt too much. By Kyoko's logic, her mother had made it clear she didn't want to be there. Habit made her finish.

 _…_ _I have a flight back to Japan I need to make this evening._

 _-Saena Mogami_

The phone buzzed as soon as Kyoko finished her reading.

 _You looked good today._

 _-Saena Mogami_

It was only a mild complement, but those words helped Kyoko to relax as she removed her make-up and prepared to leave in the company of her new family: the Hizuris.

* * *

Ren arrived in front of Kyoko's room shortly after their family dinner had finished. While Kyoko was a little upset to be separated from her parents so soon, Ren found himself relieved.

Kuu also kept going on with complements for both Ren and Kyoko. Not only was it embarrassing, but his loud and hammy tone turned heads. That made the dinner much more eventful than they would have liked. Japanese and American paparazzi lined up to take pictures of the quartet and guests live-tweeted their meal. Sometimes Ren wished he could talk back to his father. In this case, the image of "Ren" had to be maintained with no hints of "Kuon," so Ren resigned himself to smiling and nodding like the novice he was in comparison to Kuu.

Kyoko was embarrassed as Julie kept talking about how hot Kyoko looked. Julie got less subtle as she tried to coax Kuon's desire out of Ren. She hoped that would get the hopeless couple together. Attractiveness was her weapon of choice, so she would use Kyoko's to egg Ren along. It seemed his parents wouldn't let him forget what Kyoko wore that day. He wondered if his father liked to make him sexually frustrated, perhaps hoping his resolve would crack.

The door opened to reveal one bed, and Ren offered to sleep on the couch, but Kyoko said she would rather do it. Kyoko also gave him the honor to use the bathroom first as her "guest." Technically they were both hotel guests, but Kyoko considered him one more than her due to his lodging situation. He came out wearing a fresh set of flannel pajamas. She wasn't surprised that he was still well put together when he was asleep. She picked up her own sleepwear and left to her own bath. The hot water helped to wash away her embarrassment from what she had done that day. Now she knew it was time to move on to a new adventure: a Hollywood movie.

She was surprised that when she came out of the bathroom Ren was already sleeping. It was even more surprising that he was in the bed instead of on the couch as his chivalrous demeanor would suggest. Although she considered taking the couch, Kyoko considered her situation: it would be normal for a boyfriend and girlfriend to sleep in the same bed. Even if she was still nervous about being improper, the confidence she had gained allowed her to ignore her fears and slip into the bed, albeit as far away from Ren as she could. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

Unbeknownst to Kyoko, Ren was only feigning sleep. Although he was surprised to find Kyoko in the bed, he wasn't disappointed in the least. After he was sure she was asleep, he scooted over to grasp her in his arms. She didn't wake up to scoot away from him, for which he was grateful, and Ren fell into a deep sleep.

0-

 **A/N:** Yeahhhhh that took a while. The next chapter will probably take a long time as well due to my schedule. I hope you enjoyed!


	8. A Surprise Location

**A/N:** So now we're getting to the meat of the story, or at least the main part. We're a bit closer to more fluff and citrus I guess then? We're skipping over thanksgiving week, in which Ren actually had to do work in the US with a modeling agency and Kyoko went to LA to have a nice time with the Hizuris. All very routine and boring and not ship material, so I didn't find it necessary to include.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **A Surprise Location**

Kuu had offered to drive Kyoko up to the city where location filming would occur. Kyoko was excited to visit a new city, but the long drive down a highway lined by fields didn't inspire much wonder. It was only when she begun to see San Francisco through the windshield that Kyoko perked up. Perhaps the city wasn't as central to entertainment as New York of Los Angeles, but she had always wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge.

Unfortunately, Kuu's GPS led them not to San Francisco, but a normal hotel across the water. Inside, she found Ren and Yashiro already checked in and talking to the director and a few other men she didn't recognize. Kyoko was relieved to get her own room. As pleasant as the morning she woke up in Ren's arms was, she didn't know if she would be able to endure that for a week. Before she could leave for her room, Kyoko was pulled over by the director. She greeted him as best she could in her tired state.

"Hello, Kyoko," he said. "Since you're here for only this week, we'll be doing all of your location scenes this week. Tomorrow we're staying here in town, filming at the University, but the rest of the week we'll have a bit of travel to set." He led her to a set of windows facing the bay. "Do you see that island over there?" Kyoko nodded nervously. "That's where we'll be filming. We'll also have a night shoot there. You'll need to get a lot of rest. In the meantime, here's your script for this week's scenes." He handed Kyoko a thick stack of paper, and she froze.

As Kyoko stood still staring at the script, Ren finally took the opportunity to greet her. "Hello Mogami-san. I hope your travel wasn't bad?" Kyoko nodded meekly. "Do you need any help with you luggage?" This time Kyoko shook her head.

"I'll be okay, Tsuruga-san. I'll come back down after," she said.

"Dinner then?" Ren hoped, almost begging to have a date with Kyoko after so long.

"Sure!" Kyoko said before someone interrupted her.

"Dinner?! Who said dinner?" It was Kuu. "Where are we going?" Ren, or perhaps it was Kuon, gave Kuu a dirty look as if to tell him that he wanted a nice date with his girlfriend. Unfortunately, his hesitation to tell Kuu they were dating led him to not resist.

"Ah, Hizuri-san! We were going to find somewhere after Mogami-san dropped her luggage in her room," he said. Although he tried, his acting abilities couldn't stop venom from tainting his voice. By that point, Kyoko took the cue to leave and drop her things off. If he didn't know Kyoko to be so naïve, Ren would've been annoyed that she wasn't mad at Kuu for ruining their date. Kuu left with her while Yashiro began to text Lory that Ren had asked Kyoko on a date. Not using those exact words of course, but a dinner for just the two of them nonetheless.

Kyoko returned shortly after and Ren began to lead her to the doors. "Isn't father coming?" She innocently asked. Why did she have to ruin her plan to ditch Kuu?

"Ah, I forgot, Mogami-san," he said as Kuu came running after to catch up. Sometimes Ren wondered if all of these times he was stopped from having dates with Kyoko were karma for what Kuon did to Rick.

It was only on their way back from the restaurant that Ren realized how lucky he had been to have Kuu along. If the tabloid Ren looked through at a newsstand was any indication, Kuu's presence had been a blessing in disguise. A small headline on the cover read:

 _Dating or Not? Two New Stars from Japan Spotted Together in New York_

He panicked, hoping they hadn't been caught heading to the hotel together. Instead, the very short article went over their known history of denials about their relationship to the Japanese press and detailed the movie they would be filming. The picture was one of them meeting backstage before the fashion show. For now, they were safe, but this would require discussion back at the hotel.

* * *

At breakfast the next morning Kyoko was sat at a table with Ren and Kuu. To keep the conversation private, they spoke in Japanese. None of the crew staying at that hotel did, and any paparazzi would be outside.

"Mogami-san, we need to talk. The American media has begun dating rumors about us," Ren said solemnly. "They can be very aggressive, so we need to be careful."

Kyoko looked confused. She understood why it was important to stay private, but didn't understand why Ren was telling her to be careful again. They were doing a good job in Japan.

Kuu added his two cents to clarify Ren's words. "The media here likes to take things out of context. If you two are caught alone at a meal it will be called a date; if you two are caught entering the hotel together they will assume you are sleeping together. That will all be published here regardless of truth, and likely picked up by the Japanese media. They'll also word it to avoid any consequences, so you can't stop the stories from being published." Kyoko looked horrified. "Now that they have a potential juicy story if they can 'prove' you two are dating, they'll try hard to do so. There's probably even a few low level staff members in the crew who would sell photos of you two." Both blushed and looked away. "I'm sure Ren knows this well enough, so he'll help you out, Kyoko."

Help her out, he did. Although he sent her texts through the day and talked politely, he rarely got close to her during the location shoot. Paparazzi could be spotted behind the bushes and on nearby benches watching the filming carefully. Today they would be shooting the final scene of the movie, where Kyoko's character (who had decided to enroll in college) meets Ren's character again at the university he re-enrolled in after the war. Because the characters meet outside on a walkway, they were in full view of the cameras the entire morning. Even when the cameras stopped rolling, Kyoko and Ren made efforts to stay away from each other. They knew any slight screw-up could be interpret the wrong way. Thankfully, their characters never touched in the scene – only stared at each other in familiarity before walking past each other. If they did touch, Ren worried what the out of context leaked photos would lead to.

In the afternoon, they moved to the exterior of a house nearby to film parts of the scene in which Kyoko arrives at her estranged relative's house in the US. The rest would be shot in studio. Thankfully, Ren didn't have to be on set and the residents were near militant about keeping paparazzi off their street, so this shoot was somewhat more private than the morning's. To further minimize any risk, Ren spent the afternoon at the university library reading. They wouldn't find him there.

The second day was their first day on the island with more of the cast. Thankfully no paparazzi had made the ferry trip out. The morning had the Japanese cast members of the movie and many extras recruited from local Japanese communities and tour groups being herded off an old-fashioned ship onto the island. While Kyoko wasn't complaining about doing the shot many times, Ren was particularly frustrated to be shoved around in the noisy crowd. At least it fit his character's attitude at this point in the movie. The afternoon was full of more shots of them being herded like cattle to the fake internment camp on the island. Ren wondered if that day would be the only one he was thankful for pestering fans. The rush of Japanese tourists getting his autographs between takes led to some of the young Japanese-American extras requesting the same at lunch. Kyoko had a few fans of her own, asking her for autographs and chatting with her. There were so many requests, neither had time to see the other. If there was one regret about the situation, it was that today wasn't a day where they needed to avoid each other's company for fear of an inopportune picture.

The next three days were all interactions with the landscape of the island. Kyoko saw shots of Ren getting thrown into the water by one of the "guards," but because Kuu had advised her to stay back at the hotel, she explored the local area. Instead, Yashiro sent her detailed updates after ever take. They had to repeat the scene a few times, and after every one she wished she could prepare a warm bath for Ren, but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't even get close now that the paparazzi were starting to venture onto the island.

For her part, Kyoko got a shot sitting on a beach, staring at the Golden Gate Bridge. She was only ferried over for the afternoon, after Ren had left the island. Almost all of the next two days were spent filming Ren trying to get Kyoko through foliage on the island for a four minute long scene and filming a related scene of Kuu's character chastising her for trying to escape on the edge of the camp. During that monologue, he referred to the scenery around him, trying to convince Kyoko's character that if she had to be imprisoned in a strange land that it was at least in such a beautiful setting. The actress agreed with her character: neither was good. In those scenes, particularly when they had gotten far enough into the trees to be invisible to cameras, Kyoko wished for a small tender moment. With Ren being so cautious, she had to remind herself that he wasn't abandoning her – he was protecting her reputation.

The final night and day were spent on a scene focusing on the last night the characters spent at the internment camp. Ren and Kyoko were brought up to the peak of the island and watched the sun rise as their characters discussed the future. Ren's character pondered going back to school. It was meant to show how he had matured through the storyline, while Kyoko's character decided to attend school to show her newfound independence from her family in Japan. Kuu's character died of an illness in a previous scene, so Kuu had gotten to go back to the hotel for the night. Of course he wouldn't let Ren or Kyoko forget that, much to their chagrin. Short hours of sleep in tents followed by long hikes uphill were terrible compared to a full night in a king-sized featherbed. Ren considered offering to carry Kyoko as a joke, but he knew one production assistant had been keeping a close eye on them. He was so used to it he couldn't feel annoyed about a PA trying to sell personal gossip, only that he couldn't help Kyoko. It was times like these that made him wonder why he was returning to Hollywood.

* * *

Only when Kyoko and her bags got off the island around noon did the two relax. A small private boat had taken both to San Francisco at Ren's request. Ren had been given the afternoon off so he could nap, but instead he chose to escort her to the airport. Kyoko was grateful, but worried that anyone could snap a shot. She knew that San Francisco was a popular destination for Japanese tourists, which didn't help her confidence. Japanese fans would be just as likely as a paparazzo to take photos of them. What she didn't notice was that he had spent the boat ride in the bathroom putting on a blond wig from his bag and taking out his contacts. The boat driver didn't ask about it. Kyoko assumed he thought it was a disguise. He assumed her hair was when they first boarded because he had only ever seen her with the wig she wore for her role.

Kyoko was relieved they weren't noticed on their way to the small, quiet seafood restaurant Ren led her to. They had walked straight through the tourist district to a quieter place down the waterfront. While the restaurant offered no private rooms, they were led to a secluded table at the back with a view of the water. Ren was too happy to get his date, and a smile snuck onto his face. It was the first smile Kyoko had seen from him since she arrived.

Both were tempted to act as if it was a date, but they knew they would have to be careful. Because of Ren's disguise, and perhaps for some freedom, Kyoko naturally began to call him Corn. Ren was inclined to smile at her reversion to childish innocence at the presence of "Corn." It was also a good reinforcement to the disguise. If "Ren" wasn't brought up, he hoped no one would think enough of his alter ego to notice the similarities. That would also help with his desire to order a glass of wine. After all, the only US identification he had was his passport, and that was under his birth name.

Most of the meal was silent. The lack of sleep the night before had led both parties to spend their time staring silently at their plates. Once the plates were cleared and the bill paid did they feel awake enough to talk, and then it was time for Kyoko to go to the airport.

They stepped into the chartered car hired by the production company only ten minutes after they had called it. The driver looked curious about the man stepping into the car with Kyoko, but again didn't ask any questions. As Ren had come to learn in his previous life as Kuon, most of the time the drivers of hired cars knew not to ask questions or learned not to do so quickly.

"Are you excited to return to Japan?" Kuon asked her in English.

Kyoko nodded, but added in Japanese, "I'll miss you, but I know I need to do work." She blushed at her statement.

"I'll miss you as well," Kuon responded in Japanese. "But thankfully they have adjusted the filming schedule." Kyoko perked up, hoping that meant he would be returning early. "They realized they did not need as many location shoots as they had previously thought, so I will have a week to go home for your birthday and New Year's while they work on the sets at the backlot." If he wasn't happy enough, his excitement grew as he saw happiness spread across Kyoko's face.

Kyoko thought she would begin to cry in happiness, but instead she felt herself being brought as close to his chest as their seatbelts would allow. She felt a kiss planted on her head as her nose took in his scent. It would be her last chance to get close to him until her birthday, so she stayed still against his chest. After what felt like a second to the couple, the driver announced that they had arrived at the airport. Kyoko took the chance to give him a long kiss on the lips before rushing out of the door sporting a bright red blush.

Ren was happy she was bold enough to kiss him, but wondered if she would even get over the blush those kisses led to. He watched her stride into the terminal and continued to stare long after the doors closed, but was cruelly forced to snap back to reality when the driver began to drive him back to his hotel.

* * *

 **A/N:** So the next chapter will cover some of that break and some of the chaos that has gone down while she's been working in America. This one was a bit short, but I didn't want to spend too much elaborating on the plot of the movie or the details of any of the filming; it's a bit more entertaining to get to the fluff than reading about a blatantly Oscar-bait depressing plot.


	9. Surprising Scandals

**A/N:** So now we're getting to the meat of the story, or at least the main part. We're a bit closer to more fluff and citrus I guess then? We're skipping over thanksgiving week, in which Ren actually had to do work in the US with a modeling agency and Kyoko went to LA to have a nice time with the Hizuris. All very routine and boring and not ship material, so I didn't find it necessary to include.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Surprising Scandals**

Once again Kyoko was called into Lory's office almost as soon as her flight had landed in Japan. The sleep she had gotten on the flight helped her fatigue, but she did not feel entirely ready to meet with her boss. At least she was tired enough that she couldn't bring herself to worry about why she was called to his office.

Unlike every other time she had been invited, this time there actually was serious trouble. Upon sitting down, Sebastian shoved several tabloids and a CD into Kyoko's lap. She stared at the stack for about a minute before processing what she saw.

"Go ahead, read it," Lory encouraged her.

The first tabloid was actually a print-out of an online entertainment article from the US, apparently from that day. She looked at the story that must have been about to hit the streets by now and read it five times. There were only a few sentences, but the pictures told the whole story. In those pictures were she and Kuon standing outside of the restaurant together waiting for their car to arrive. In one they were laughing, in the other gazing into each other's eyes. Every sentence put an emphasis on the fact that they were rumored to be dating, and one mentioned her possible relationship with Ren for controversy.

She looked up in horror at Lory. He nodded in acknowledgement of her concern.

That didn't inspire any confidence in her. "It's lucky that you and Ren aren't in a relationship," that he knew of, added Kyoko. "Then they'd have more fodder for their love triangle narrative. But that's the least of your worries." He flicked his hand for emphasis as he went back to his work. "I'd suggest you look at the CD first, particularly the lyric book." Kyoko nodded with a hearty gulp.

She put down the printed page and looked at the cover of the CD for the first time. It was one of Sho's singles. Kyoko wondered why Sho would come back into her life now. She hadn't thought of him in months, and it frustrated her that he would once again come to weigh upon her thoughts. And if Lory was this worried, it was almost guaranteed this was a situation that would occupy her time in Japan.

The cover wasn't as overtly visual kei as his previous album covers. Though many silver shapes dotted his ears, there was no wig or hair gel. His outfit was subdued – a white shirt and dark pants with only one silver chained necklace. No noticeable make-up was caked on his face, making his expression seem more mature. That innocent look once would've struck horror in Kyoko, but now she felt as apathetic as she had when he tried to kiss her last. She hadn't seen him much after that, and she didn't care that she hadn't.

Slowly, apprehensively, Kyoko pulled the booklet out of the CD case. Even if she knew she was over any love or hate towards Sho, Kyoko didn't trust herself to keep those feelings away permanently if he pulled something drastic. Hopefully this wasn't drastic. Her eyes drifted down to the pages of the booklet and began to read the lyrics.

Although they read as overly sappy to Kyoko, she couldn't take her eyes off the lyrics. They described Sho's feelings as he watched a girl he rejected become happy without him. She had to admit, they were the best lyrics Sho had written, but she didn't understand why this was such a big deal. She looked up in thought, but caught Lory staring intently at her.

"Are you done reading?"

Kyoko nodded, but displayed a confused expression.

"Don't you realize what this song is about?" Lory questioned her. He knew she was dense, but he hoped she wasn't this dense.

Realization dawned upon her face as Kyoko contemplated what this meant. It was only shortly before her last encounter with him that she realized he had loved her all along. She knew she couldn't love him back, and moved on. Apparently, he had not. Looking back on it, he was always immature, so she hadn't realized he would ever feel any constructive remorse. She had assumed his attempts to reach out to her would always be physical, not in his music. Kyoko was the facilitator of his music, but never a part of it in any way. Now, he was trying to reach out through a part of his life she was always cut out of. She wondered if he knew it would never bring her back.

"Has – has he said anything about me?" Kyoko asked, worried to know the answer.

"No. Keep reading," Lory encouraged solemnly.

So she did. The first tabloid was the earliest chronologically, published the day after she had left for New York.

* * *

 **Sho's Surprise New Single! Is It About a Past Flame?**

Without any prior announcement from his company, a new single from singer Fuwa Sho was released widely in music stores and on Japanese iTunes today. The lyrics about a girl he lost are in sharp contrast to his previous songs that painted him as a playboy.

In the song he sings about a deep love he held for a girl who he didn't get. He says that he sees her happy now that she's entirely out of his life. In a TV interview, Sho did not deny that the song was based on a real girl he knew.

A colleague of Sho's told us anonymously that the girl was one who was in show business as well, but said he may have known the girl before he became famous. Our source also said there was a lot of bad tension between the two.

Now the big question is: who is this girl?

* * *

Kyoko knew instinctively that the "source" was Mimori. Few people in the industry had seen them interact, and of those who had, she knew Mimori was the most likely to tattle to the press. The girl was a lovesick puppy for Sho, as she had once been. She knew that led to regrettable behavior.

She moved on to the next tabloid. This one was dated a day later and was published in a different tabloid than the first.

* * *

 **Rumor: Sho's New Single About Childhood Friend?**

A source came forward with speculation about who Sho's newest single is about. The source, Ms. T, says she attended middle school with Sho and the mystery girl in Kyoto. All three were in the same grade and she shared a class with both Sho and the girl, but was not close to either.

Ms. T claims the girl lived with Sho's family although she was unrelated to him. She claims that no one in the class knew why the girl wasn't living with her parents or relatives. Every day, the mystery girl made Sho lunch, but he would often completely blow her off to eat a bento made by an admirer. According to Ms. T, the girl was completely subservient to Sho. "It was like she was his maid. He didn't care about her at all." Despite this, the girl was at the top of the class and dedicated to her schoolwork.

The girl's social life was much more stifled. "We were all cruel to her," Ms. T recalls. "Even if Sho didn't seem to like her romantically, she did live with him. Of course that makes the other girls jealous." Sho was the idol of his middle school, and girls that were jealous of Kyoko for her closeness to him bullied her relentlessly.

It is unknown what became of the girl. Ms. T says she didn't attend any local high schools, but heard a rumor that she gave up schooling to move to Tokyo with Sho. We asked if she knew anything about the rumor that the girl was in show business, but she could not confirm anything. "There is a rising actress the right age with the same name, but she seems to act so different from the girl. The actress takes roles and styles herself entirely unlike the girl did at school."

The plot thickens.

* * *

Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief at the fact her name had not been discovered as of that article. Unfortunately, she knew there were two more left to read. She picked the next one up, published only two days after the second article and from the same tabloid brand.

* * *

 **Sho's Mystery Girl: Adopted by his Family?**

After reading our previous article about Sho's mystery girl, a few sources have come forward to confirm and expand on the earlier account of their relationship.

One boy, Mr. S, said that the girl was very cute. She was attractive, but no guy dared approach her because of her relationship with Sho. While he acted like he didn't care, Mr. S said, all the boys knew he was overprotective of her. "It was like he thought she was his property, and she didn't seem to mind. It was kinda creepy." He added that her devotion to Sho staved off any boys who didn't care about Sho's feelings. "She would always love him more than you, so it would be useless to even try dating her."

A girl, Ms. A, also said she was overly devoted to him. "Even though he would pay attention to and flirt with every girl in the class but her, she never seemed to hate him. We were all jealous of her at the time, but I don't know why. She may have been the closest to him, but he treated her like a dog or something."

The most surprising account came from a Mr. Y, who claims he went to both elementary and middle school with the girl. Mr. Y claims the girl was hated by her mother. "Even though she was always getting top grades, I heard her mom would yell at her after school. I don't remember when, but other kids say her mother disappeared." About a year after that was the first time Mr. Y heard of the girl living with Sho's family. He says the rumor persisted for most of elementary school, but wasn't confirmed until middle school. Mr. Y said he tried to stay out of the gossip loop and never shared a class with them in middle school, so he couldn't say much about their relationship there.

* * *

Kyoko choked at the last paragraph. If it was just her relationship with Sho to explain, she knew she would be able to do that. Now, her relationship with her mother had been brought into the equation. Even if she now had an explanation for her mother's behavior and there was an increase in communication between them, Kyoko didn't know if she was comfortable enough with their relationship to discuss it publically.

At least she hadn't been identified by name. There was still one chance for that, though. She reached for the last tabloid, dated to two days before. The fact that it was known to be the sleaziest one in production sent off red flags, but she hoped that meant no one had taken the article seriously.

* * *

 **Sho's Mysterious Crush: Identified?**

We have obtained a copy of records from Fuwa Sho's middle school from an anonymous source. The records indicate that a classmate named Mogami Kyoko was living at the same address as Fuwa throughout middle school.

A picture (printed below) shows the school photo of Mogami. Purportedly she is now working as an actress in Tokyo. Currently there are several actresses named "Kyoko" that are the correct age, but the rising actress Kyouko from LME appears to share the same birthday as the girl in question. Although Kyouko looks different from Mogami Kyoko due to adopting a different hair style and donning make-up, the two appear to have near identical faces.

Insiders we spoke with said Kyouko has an antagonistic relationship with Fuwa, but that the two haven't worked together in the past year. She starred in one PV with Fuwa early in her acting career, and performed on a variety show he attended around the same time.

Could it be the actress Kyouko is Sho's mystery girl? Is he another one of Kyouko's love interests alongside Tsuruga Ren and Hizuri Kuon? We will keep you updated as more information is available.

* * *

Somehow, she had accepted that this would be the outcome of any tabloid investigation into their relationship. It was sooner than expected, but she knew she could face it.

Lory looked up from his desk as he heard her close the final tabloid. He looked at Kyoko, waiting for her to initiate the conversation.

Kyoko opened her mouth to speak, but paused before she finally began. "I believe I can handle this. We should set the record straight. May you please call Fuwa-san's agency so that we can discuss this with them?"

Lory was impressed with Kyoko's resolve, but could tell she was eager to get this past her. Kyoko never told Lory about her past with Fuwa, but he didn't ask her to do so. That was to stay private until it inevitably came out, as it did now. The meeting would tell him what he needed to know. While Kyoko watched anxiously, Lory set up a meeting with the head of Sho's agency along with him and Shoko. He wondered if he should call Kyoko's mother into this, but figured it would be best to leave her out. It would only make the situation worse if the tabloids found her to be involved.

"Kyoko. They'll be here in an hour for an emergency meeting. Why don't you go eat while you're waiting? Surely you haven't had anything since you got off the plane," he suggested, not noticing that she had fallen asleep on the couch during his phone call. Sebastian would have to bring a tea tray for her later, he noted, and went to work on different damage control strategies to discuss.

* * *

Kyoko awoke to a gentle hand shaking her shoulder. She looked up to see a dearly missed face. "Jelly-san!" She woke up almost immediately so she could give Jelly a proper greeting.

"Good Afternoon, Kyoko-chan! Darling said I should make sure you are presentable since you are going to have an important meeting," Jelly said happily. "Unfortunately, there's not a lot of time, but I'll do my best." Before Kyoko was even fully upright, Jelly had taken out her brushes to Kyoko's face to do what Jelly considered the bare minimum. Kyoko wasn't sure their definitions of minimum matched up. She thought she would look like Setsu with all the make-up she felt going onto her face.

Jelly combed out her hair so it wasn't so messy and gave her a fresh dress to change into. Looking in the bathroom mirror after changing, Kyoko felt much better about what Jelly had done. The dark circles under her eyes were covered and her hair did not betray that she had just awoken from a nap. The navy blue dress would've been more appropriate for someone in her mother's position, but she knew it would make her look more in command of her situation. As usual, it appeared that Jelly knew exactly how she needed to look.

A knock on the bathroom door indicated that she needed to come out, so she put on a character to match what she was wearing. It wasn't a character in the sense that Natsu or Mio were, but one she had developed for herself to wear as a mask. She wore it when she was on the runway just a month before: the speech of Mio, the posture of Natsu, and the grace of the angel she played in Sho's own music video. Everything about this mask was handpicked from characters familiar to her so she could keep the act up easily, even in difficult situations. This was one she would certainly need to stay calm.

In Lory's office sat Sho and Shoko along with another woman. No one bothered to introduce her, so Kyoko was left to assume that she was the president of Sho's agency; Lory's equal. She bowed to the woman out of respect, but didn't introduce herself. Kyoko sat in one of Lory's plush chairs that was outfitted like a throne, keeping her confident posture. She did not acknowledge Sho beyond a simple nod of greeting.

Lory entered with a stack of papers and sat at his desk. As usual, Sebastian stood by his side. "I'm sure we all know each other?" They nodded, but Kyoko wondered if anyone would introduce the woman sitting across from her. "Kyoko-chan, this is Ritsuko Ueda. She is the PR director for their agency. Ueda-san, this is Mogami Kyoko." They both made small bows at each other during the greeting, allowing Lory to move on. "I do believe we have something to address. Sho?" Lory game him a pointed look.

"So what if I wanted to release a song about Kyoko? It's not like I expected them to find out. Besides, doesn't the song say I've gotten over her, so why's it an issue?" If she went back to her old ways of thinking about him, Kyoko knew why it was an issue. Sho wasn't even mature enough to keep his mouth shut for an important discussion, he certainly wouldn't be able to keep who the song was about a secret. She kept her mouth shut.

Shoko butted in, trying to calm Sho down. "It doesn't matter what you did, it matters what is happening now. We need to figure that out," she tried to say in a normal tone of voice. A hiss came out at the end, betraying her anger.

Before Lory could respond, Ms. Ueda threw in her two cents. "At this point, the story of their past has been leaked. We need to determine how to handle that. I do not believe Sho has told me everything," she glared at him for emphasis, "but it is in my company's interest to paint him in a positive light, no matter what he has done. Do you have any thoughts on this, Kyoko?"

It was now or never for Kyoko to prove to herself she had moved on. Her poise at his kiss and her indifference to his success rather than anger didn't say much if she couldn't handle this situation properly. She looked Sho in the eye before she began to speak. "Sho was cruel. He took advantage of my naivety and used me like a maid. No matter what he feels now, he did not treat me like he loved me then. I had no friends, I was bullied, and I gave up my dream of going to high school."

Sho couldn't meet her eyes, finally showing some shame. His mouth was still a scoul. Ms. Ueda nodded and typed notes into her tablet. Shoko held a sympathetic gaze towards Kyoko. Lory kept watching Kyoko carefully, waiting for her to continue.

"But, without that I would have never had the life I do now. I'm very grateful for that," Kyoko said. "So I don't want to release anything too damaging beyond what is out right now."

Shoko looked dismayed and Sho looked angry. Ms. Ueda was the first to speak up in response. "Is there any way you could lessen the impact of the accounts that have already been released? Lory has explained that you are not one to lie, and even less likely to lie for Sho's benefit."

Kyoko nodded. "I'll consider it, but because Sho is no longer a part of my life, I would like to keep this as minor an issue as possible. Would that be possible?"

This time, Lory jumped in. "Ueda-san, do you believe a simple press release explaining the situation will suffice? In these circumstances, a press conference seems unnecessary unless pressure from the tabloids increases." Sebastian chose that point to come whisper something into Lory's ear. He waved Sebastian off as soon as the message was delivered. "Kyoko-chan? You have tomorrow off, but Sawara-san is waiting to meet with you downstairs about a job while you're in Japan, so we will need to finish this quickly. Ueda-san and I will work on the statement based on what you said earlier. Is there anything you would like to add to it?"

Kyoko said, "No, I believe what I said earlier covers my feelings." Except that it made her seem like she still cared about Sho in some meaningful manner, whether it be friendship or hate or nostalgia. She supposed it was a necessary lie, and one she would allow to be told. She got up to get her luggage before her stop at Sawara's office nonchalantly and betraying no nerves about the announcement.

"Before you leave Kyoko-chan," Lory called out, prompting Kyoko to sit back down. "Due to this incident, there are many paparazzi outside the Darumaya, particularly now that you have been spotted returning to Japan. While you were napping I made arrangements for you to stay at Ren-kun's place for your stay in Japan." Kyoko and Sho both collectively choked. Sho because he knew something was up, and that something wasn't a something he liked; Kyoko because she was worried Lory knew they were dating. Perhaps, though, it was another futile attempt to get them together in the first place. Surely Lory knew that Ren would be returning for a week. Shoko remained silent, but grabbed Sho's shirt to hold him back.

"Surely I could stay at a hotel or something?" Kyoko asked.

"Your luggage was already brought there by Sebastian while you were here," Lory said. Kyoko hadn't noticed that it had gone missing during her nap, but looking over her shoulder it was missing. "After you go see Sawara-san, a car will be waiting to take you there."

"But why Tsuruga-san's? Isn't that highly inappropriate? What would happen if the paparazzi saw me going into his building? Wouldn't that be worse?" Kyoko over-dramatized her reaction a part of her act for Lory, but was genuinely worried to some extent. That didn't seem to faze Lory, but Sho was slightly placated by her reaction.

"They all know he's out of town. In fact, paparazzi known to be assigned to him are all in America right now. They won't be waiting outside that building. Security is also very tight, so you should be safe entering through the basement," Lory says. "Now, go. I know you want to get to bed." She was all too happy to comply. "Ah, one more thing. Aren't you going to thank me for the night after the fashion show?"

Kyoko looked at him with eyes as wide as dinner plates. "What do you mean?"

"A paparazzo caught you and the son of the Hizuri family returning to your hotel together. I explained that he was staying with his parents, not with you, so the tabloids didn't publish anything," Lory said.

Flustered, Kyoko blurted out her question. "So you didn't mess up the booking of his hotel room? We thought you…" She realized what she was saying. This was the first time she had allowed herself to lose composure tonight, and it was about Ren, not Sho. It may have been a step forward, but she still needed to work harder in these situations.

"Oh?" Lory raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you slept in the same room? Kuu and Julie told me he was staying with them." It was Sho's turn to jump up out of surprise. Shoko reached an arm out to grab his shirt. That was as good as a confession to Kyoko, but she didn't say anything. Now would be the time to lie. Shoko did tug at Sho's shirt to prevent him from rushing over to Lory's desk and demanding answers.

"No. It appears there was just a misunderstanding with the rooms. He managed to work it out with the hotel. We were all confused about what happened," she explained. More like they were all suspicious, one of her few remaining grudge spirits reminded her. "I should go now. I'm very tired from all my travelling." She grabbed her purse, bowed quickly, and rushed out of the room as fast as she could.

* * *

Her face was still red with some mix of anger and embarrassment when she arrived at Sawara-san's desk to find out about the job offer. As usual, he appeared overworked and only slightly surprised to see her.

"Ah, Mogami-san. Welcome back. You've come to discuss the offers?"

"Yes, Sawara-san."

"I figured you must be too tired to choose roles for after the movie is done, so I'll give you the scripts for the offers and you can read them. Get back to me as soon as possible, though. These directors are waiting to hear back. The immediate concerns are the events during your short time in Japan. Would you be willing to do any work?"

Kyoko nodded, trying to show enthusiasm despite her tired state.

"Good. I've only accepted two offers for you. The first is the Veronica's Stash Valentine's Day collection shoot and a Christmas event on the 23rd. They say while the line is only selling moderately well, their target audience had an extremely positive reaction to you, so they want you to participate in the Valentine's Day advertisements. That should only be 3-5 days of work, but it starts day after tomorrow," Sawara explained. "You will also receive a bonus because one part of the collection did exceed expectations: the one Julie designed for you. It had a limited run in Japan and sold out within a few hours. American and European consumers are also petitioning to have it released there."

Kyoko lit up with excitement to hear that the company valued her, and that her aesthetic was popular. It made her glow with pride to hear the design Julie made was doing so well. That almost made her look forward to the Valentine's Day shoot. Almost.

"So they've made the theme for the Valentine's Day ad campaign, 'Romantic Princess,'" Sawara said. Kyoko set aside the 'almost' and admitted to herself that she was now, in fact, excited for the upcoming work. "The other job is one I think you'll enjoy. Bridge Rock wants you to come on as a guest for their Christmas special. I believe it's taping the 20th. They want you to do a few skits as Bo, and interview you in studio."

"Of course!" Kyoko hadn't been Bo since October, and even then had only gotten to play him sparingly with her increasingly busy schedule. It would be a nice homecoming.

"That's it for today. I think Lory has a car waiting for you in the garage, so why don't you go home and rest for the night? I need to get back to work," Sawara said.

Kyoko left LME after an assistant handed her some information about the two jobs she would be performing. As soon as she arrived at Ren's apartment, she collapsed onto the couch and fell asleep, anticipating Ren's return.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed! The next chapter will be about her lovely break and reunion with Ren in Japan. Then back to America for the movie.


	10. A Routine Holiday

**A/N:** Winter break chapter. There will be fluff and such in this and yes. Okay. To the story.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **A Routine Holiday**

Kyoko was surprised by how little she saw Sho after her meeting with him about the latest single. Certainly there were questions, but since the statement was released most of the media hype had died down. Sure enough, there was another scandal that quickly pushed their's out of the headlines. This one involved some top idol being caught with her boyfriend, both underage and drunk out of their minds. While Kyoko felt bad, she thanked her lucky stars that her problems were for the most part over quickly.

Now she was finally getting to work on a project she wanted to: the Grateful Party. Maria and Lory had done most of the work due to her increasingly busy schedule.

The Valentine's Day photoshoots had taken longer than she thought it would. Because most of the ensembles were soft, pretty, and intricate as Kyoko liked they took longer to get into and out of. That and the commercial filming stretched the shoot an extra day due to technical difficulties. The sets she wore for the photos and commercials would end up being put in store windows, which for once she regretted. Princess themed anything was her forte, even if it was something she wouldn't normally wear. Still they insisted on giving her a bustier and underwear from the collection to wear for the party. She reluctantly accepted, but only because the lace bustier was designed to look like a princess's corset. The ruffles that lined the top edge even stuck out under the neckline of the dress she wore, making it look more princess-like in her eyes.

The event on the 23rd happened to be a promotion where she was expected to help women pick out "presents" for their boyfriends at the main store in Tokyo and answer questions. She didn't think she was very good at it, but her model status afforded her automatic rapport with the shoppers and they left happy. Of course she got a few questions about sex and her rumored relationships with now three highly eligible bachelors. The host was good at deflecting most of the questions, and Kyoko was able to brush any remaining ones off with carefully scripted answers she had been given beforehand from company management to sell products.

The Bridge Rock shooting also went well. Her skits as Bo were easy to perform. In fact, because the producers knew she was so good at the role they let her go in without any rehearsal. The actors, of course, were rehearsed, so she was able to throw them off for funnier reactions with her acting. The interview lasted a few minutes, but she had been channeled for the reaction panel. Acting helped her to exaggerate her reactions for extra humor.

Now she would have time to relax with family, friends, and hopefully Ren. He had never told her what time he would be back, but she thought he would be able to attend the party.

The first guests started trickling in shortly after her final checks had ended. She had barely gotten into the red strapless dress before she was called to the entrance to greet the guests with Maria. All night she stayed by the door, waiting for Ren to come, but he never did. Kanae, her landlords, Chiori, the Bridge Rock trio, and many others came to socialize with her. No one dared move her away from the door – they could all tell she was waiting for someone.

Finally around midnight Kanae dragged her away from the door and up to the stage so that she could celebrate her birthday as soon as the clock struck midnight. They rolled out a giant cake for Maria and Kyoko to share and showered both in presents, but nothing seemed to stop Kyoko from looking longingly at the door.

Around 12:30 Lory suggested that she go home because she was obviously tired. Before he sent her off in a limo, he made Kyoko down a glass of water so that she "would have something in her stomach." Kyoko should've known to be suspicious of the strange flavor, but she drank it quickly so she could get Lory back to his party.

* * *

Ren had finally returned to his apartment after a long and arduous day of travel. While he expected to be back by noon, bad weather had delayed his flight nearly ten hours. By the time he had passed customs, gotten his bag, and caught a taxi to his apartment it was nearly midnight. Before he collapsed onto the couch for a nap, he read the clock in his living room as saying it was 12:15.

He hoped Kyoko would come home soon. He knew she was staying here. Why he didn't know, but he did suspect Lory was probably orchestrating something. Probably another scheme to get them together. These were the moments that made Ren feel entirely smug about his ability to keep their relationship secret. Lory found out everything. Except for them.

On a whim, he turned the TV on to watch the Bridge Rock Christmas Special midnight re-airing. Kyoko's interview had just begun and drew his attention to the TV. Their daily calls revealed nothing about the show, so Ren was curious. She was good friends with the hosts due to her role as Bo, but he didn't know if that played into the interview at all.

"Kyoko-chan! It's nice to see you," one of the brothers said. Ren knew this was the one with a crush on her – Hikaru or something. He didn't know if Kyoko knew about the crush.

"It's nice to see you too," she bowed.

Another one of the brothers immediately went for the kill, likely because of the limited time allowed for the interview. "You've become super sexy since we saw you last, Kyoko-chan! Those ads you were in were gorgeous." As Ren predicted, Kyoko turned as red as a tomato. She was comfortable with the modeling on the job, but if someone was talking about it outside of the set, she got embarrassed.

"T- thank you," she said out of habit.

"You probably have a lot of help being sexy, considering you're 'friends' with two very hot young men: Hizuri and Tsuruga," the second brother teased back.

"Hey!" Hikaru responded, trying to defend her. "Our little sister," he said, indicating Kyoko, "Is really cute and innocent! I'd bet if anything, they're corrupting her. Hizuri in particular."

"N- no! It's nothing like that," Kyoko defended. "Both are good friends, but true gentlemen," she added. Considering how often she called him a playboy, Ren was relieved to hear her say that.

"But you're spending a lot more time with Tsuruga-san at least. How's the movie going?" The third brother added. Kyoko's blush went down as she recognized the change in topic would get her away from undesirable conversations.

"It's going well," she said. "It's a lot of hard work, but the locations we are working at are beautiful."

"So you're not done yet?"

She shook her head. "Not until February. We just finished the location shoots this month, so next month is all in studio. Tsuruga-san and Hizuri Kuu-san are still in America with the rest of the cast," she explained.

"Then you came here just for us! That's great, Kyoko-chan!" Hikaru said.

"Not _just_ for you," Kyoko quipped. It appeared she was beginning to get more personality for the shows. It would certainly help her get more exposure on Japanese TV, though Ren wasn't sure he wanted that. He felt a bit selfish, but he didn't want to share Kyoko.

As he contemplated his conflict of interests, he finally succumbed to the stress of the day and fell asleep.

* * *

Kyoko felt a bit giggly when she arrived at the door of Ren's apartment, but otherwise didn't notice anything off. She chocked the giggling up to excitement at the possibility of seeing Ren again. If he was even there.

When the door opened, she scrambled in and practically ripped the high heels off of her feet to go check his bedroom. On the way, she found him asleep on the couch, so she tried to find an acceptable blanket for him in his bedroom. He couldn't catch a cold now.

Ren was awoken by the lovely giggling coming from Kyoko. He could hear her walking through the apartment on her way to bed from the party, but was too groggy to get up and greet her. When she finally returned to the room, Ren sat up to see her carrying a blanket for him. A blanket wasn't what he wanted to keep him warm; she was. So as she approached Ren grabbed her and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

He worried that he was being too bold, considering they had only had quick kisses before, but since she wasn't pulling back he continued. Frankly, he was so groggy and tired he couldn't bring himself to think straight. That was probably why he opened his mouth a bit to allow his tongue to lick her lips. If he wasn't already pushing it, _that_ certainly was. But Kyoko seemed open to it and opened her mouth so that his tongue could be let inside. He still had reservations, but he certainly was not opposed to going as far as Kyoko would let things go.

To give him more room to maneuver without falling to the ground, he picked Kyoko up and carried her to his room. She buried her face in his chest to hide her blush while he kept his face in her hair. Carefully, he set her on his bed and began to kiss her once again. His hands began to wander around to her back and found the zipper on her dress. Before he could debate whether this was right, he began to pull it down. Kyoko didn't flinch, so he took it as a cue to continue moving the zipper down her back.

Kyoko wasn't entirely comfortable with what was going on, but she didn't want it to end quite yet. Perhaps the water Lory gave her _was_ spiked, or maybe the perverted conversations her fellow lingerie models forced her to participate in corrupted her. She didn't know. But she knew she wasn't uncomfortable enough to fight Ren off just yet, so she leaned into his kiss and let his hands do what they wanted.

He was a little disappointed that she hadn't moaned yet, but he had accepted that she wouldn't be too into it right away. Maybe the second or third time they did this. If he didn't freak her out too much for a second or third time. Nonetheless, he began to pull the top of her dress down her torso to reveal the red lacy bustier. He instantly knew that it wasn't her purchase, but one she had gotten for free and decided (or was forced) to wear to the party. Not that he was complaining.

He looked back up at her face to make sure she was okay with going this far. Kyoko's face was bright red, but she showed no signs of resistance yet, so he kept going. He began by kissing each cheek before slowly beginning to kiss down her neck. Unlike Cain, he wasn't about to give Kyoko a hickey at this point – that could damage her career – so he settled for small butterfly kisses.

Kyoko was beginning to become more uncomfortable with what Ren was doing when he got to the top of the bustier and reached his hands around her back to undo it. Not because she didn't want it, oh she did, but because she knew she wasn't ready for anything further to happen. But then again, she wanted a few more minutes like this.

As soon as the sexy piece of lace was off her chest, Ren immediately began savoring her breasts – licking, nipping, caressing. While Kyoko finally let out a moan, she knew this was getting a bit too far for comfort. Instead of stopping him in what she assumed was an impolite way, she used her hands to guide his lips to hers for a quick kiss and held his face by hers.

"Corn," she said. Ren thought it was rather cute how she referred to him by his hair color. Tonight his hair was still blond from his flight to Japan, so he was Kuon for now. As soon as he dyed it back to brown she would go back to using Ren. She only used 'Corn' if he was blond and acting like her fairy prince. So perhaps this was really enjoying this. He waited for her lips to move again. "I think we should go to bed now. You've had a long day."

She didn't want to continue tonight, but Ren decided to press his luck once more with her. "Only if you'll stay here with me." He was surprised when she nodded and moved to get her a shirt to wear so she wouldn't need to sleep in the dress. He looked back to see Kyoko putting her bustier back on for modesty as she watched him hang her dress up in his closet. Walking over to the back shelves, he found one of his smallest shirts to give to her. She would be swimming in his newer ones considering their size difference.

Kyoko felt Ren's eyes on her as she slipped the shirt over her head. She was tempted to ask for shorts to wear as well, but decided not to burden him further. He held up the sheets for her so that she could easily slip under them. After he tucked her in, he went to change into some sweatpants to sleep in and crawled in next to her. Ren lazily lay an arm over her waist and snuggled up next to her, but when she shuffled away from him he let her. He had probably gone too far, so he was lucky she was even in the bed with him.

Kyoko worried that she had disappointed Ren by stopping him or further offended him by moving away when he tried to spoon her, but she didn't know Ren was as relieved as she was that they had stopped. The last (and only) time he had sex with a virgin, he was acting similarly impulsive. At that time he hadn't been willing to stop himself – probably because the girl was a former child star on an innocent kid's television show desperate to rebel in some way, and having wild sex with a much more scandalous former child star would count as rebelling. So she wouldn't have stopped him, and even if she had tried, he didn't respect or love her as he did Kyoko. That impulsiveness led to a rough and wild night like teenage Kuon liked, but considering the room ended up looking like a murder scene from all the blood that came out of her he knew it wasn't pleasant for her. He didn't wish that upon anyone else, and certainly not Kyoko. He would try hard to make her first night perfect, and certainly not the result of his own selfish impulses. He hoped it would be a result of her own.

He fell asleep next to her, just happy to have her with him.

* * *

By the time Ren woke up, he could already smell eggs cooking in the kitchen. Even though he knew the answer to his questions Ren reached out to the side to check for Kyoko in his bed. It should have been no surprise she was there.

Without bothering to put a shirt on, he walked to the kitchen. He was mildly disappointed to find that Kyoko had changed into a fresh set of clothes, but said nothing of it. Instead, Ren snuck up behind Kyoko so that he could wrap his arms around her waist and plant a kiss into her hair. It still smelled like his pillows.

"Kuon!" Kyoko exclaimed as she turned away from the soup she was watching. So now he was no longer Corn, probably because she was less excited to see him. Though she tried to keep it off her face, Kyoko was over the moon to finally see Kuon up. After their time apart Kyoko was happy to see him. It felt like they had been apart longer due to their intentional avoidance of any and all things that could even be misconstrued as affection in America. Even now the only opportunity they had to be together was at his apartment. If he went out as Kuon, that would further rumors about their relationship, and if they tracked him back to Ren's apartment, it could lead to problems with his identity. Ren wasn't supposed to be in Japan, and if he was found to have returned to Japan only to be seen with Kyoko, the rumors about their relationship would be presumed true. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thanks to you," he winked.

Kyoko contemplated calling him a playboy, but now that she knew his actions were due to his love for her she was less inclined to do so. "What would you like to do today?" She was smart enough to know going out wasn't a good idea.

"Would you like to go out with friends for your birthday?" Ren asked.

"But then you wouldn't be able to come," she reasoned.

"Why not? I'm your friend, am I not? Can't I come?" he teased, not getting her point.

Unfortunately, he didn't realize Kyoko had a point until she spoke up. "Maria-san knows Ren well enough that up close she will know you're Ren, Kuon. I would bet some of the others would as well."

He pouted before conceding the point. "I'll get you a cake then, for when you get home. First, though, I need to go get something," Ren said. He returned to his room to get whatever it was. Kyoko had forgotten entirely about the possibility of a present, so she returned to her work in the kitchen with few qualms.

Only a minute later, Ren returned bearing a small wrapped box for her. "Happy Birthday, Kyoko," he said sweetly.

Kyoko brought their plates to the table so they could eat before she even touched the box. She wondered what could be in it. Carefully, she unwrapped it. The bow first, then the wrapping paper. They had covered a jewelry box.

She slowly opened it, nervous to see the money Ren had spent on her. He liked to spoil her, but that didn't mean Kyoko felt less guilty about it.

Inside lay a gold charm bracelet. The first few links had little charms hanging from them. The first was a white gold soda can, followed by a white pearl feather and an egg. She also saw an onyx-studded moon and a black star charm. A miniature princess rosa hung between them. The final charm on the bracelet was a tiny American flag, but all the following links were devoid of charms.

Slowly she processed the present: it was a bracelet representing important roles she'd played. The soda can represented the first commercial she was in with Kanae; the feather was for her music video with Sho, while the egg was for Bo. The moon was for Mio and the star for Setsu. The mini rosa evoked Natsu. She assumed the American flag was to celebrate the movie she was working on currently, which would be her acting debut in a US feature.

The extra spaces were for the charms he could get her in the future – for the roles she would get in the future. The gift nearly made her cry of happiness, but Ren had one more surprise.

"I still have to get you your Christmas present," Ren said. He rummaged by his luggage, which he had left by the door the night before, and pulled out a box. This one wasn't wrapped, so Kyoko could tell it wasn't jewelry. From that box came several smaller ones. Ren gave her the smallest first, which contained his Christmas present: a beautiful new bottle of perfume. It was shaped like a mermaid, with green gems covering the tail and a carefully sculpted glass body. She had no idea what to name it, but thought "Ariel" might work.

The rest were from the Hizuris. Julie had gotten Kyoko two full new designer outfits while Kuu had given her books to help her practice reading in English. She felt a bit guilty to get so many nice things, but she knew the Hizuris liked to spoil her more than Ren himself. Offending them by claiming she wasn't worthy of her presents would only make her feel more guilty.

"Yashiro says Kotonami-san is available to hang out with you today," Ren said after checking his phone.

"Yashiro? Why would he know?!" Kyoko wondered. She was afraid she knew the answer, but didn't want to assume anything about her best friend.

"Kotonami-san hasn't told you, has she," Ren pondered. "Yashiro only told me when he was drunk back in America. Although they like each other, they don't want the commitment of dating, so they've turned into friends with benefits." He could almost see the gears turning in her head, but didn't want to explain anything to her unless she really needed it explained.

"So… They're going on dates sometimes?" Kyoko asked innocently.

"A little more than that," Ren joked.

Kyoko turned bright red and looked at her lap, finally understanding what Ren was getting at. "Really?" She was still in a state of shock. There was no indication that Yashiro and Kanae knew each other, let alone knew each other that well.

Ren's phone buzzed again. "She's on her way over right now to get you. Knowing Lory, though, she won't be graduating from the LoveMe section any time soon," Ren lamented. "They don't admit it's love and don't want to share any affection they have for each other with anyone. Who knows if Lory even knows? I have to assume they're also trying to keep it from him if neither of us knew."

Kyoko nodded. Kuon's phone buzzed a third time, but this time Kyoko knew it was a call coming in. He got up, quickly mouthed, "It's dad," and left the room.

Just as she heard Kanae knock on the front door, Kuon came back into the dining area.

"One second Moko!" Kyoko exclaimed, running to get her shoes. Ren pulled her aside, grabbing her hands in his.

"Before you leave, I need to tell you. My grandmother in Kyoto is sick, so Dad has asked me to go make sure she's okay. I'll be back by New Year's Eve," Ren explained. He used his thumbs to stroke her hands.

Kyoko looked worried. "Will she be okay?"

Ren nodded. "It's just a cold, but since no other relatives are in town right now, it's good to have someone there. You can always call me if you need me. I love you," he kissed her. She slowly pulled away from him.

"Have a good trip," she said as she let his hands go, with only a bit of sadness in her voice.

"You as well," he said before moving back to his bedroom and out of sight of the front door.

Kyoko put her shoes on, ran out the door to meet Kanae, and began to yell incoherently in excitement to see her friend.

"Nice to see you too," Kanae greeted her. She reached out to give Kyoko a hug. "Should we go?" Kyoko nodded enthusiastically and followed Kanae out of the building. She was a bit surprised when Kanae led her to the basement and out the back service door. "Last night the paparazzi followed you back here. Since Ren's not in town, they want evidence that you're living here." Kyoko nodded.

They continued walking back alleys until they got to a small café on the edge of a shopping district. Kanae sat them down at a table in the back.

"So how's the movie going?" Kanae asked.

Kyoko blushed. "Well. I haven't gotten to do many scenes with Tsuruga-san, but the scenes with Kuu-san have been fun to film! It's great to work with such a talented actor," she said sheepishly.

"I was wondering why there were no pictures of you and Tsuruga-san together on set. I thought you two were just trying to hide from the paparazzi since the rumors about you two have been ramping up." As usual, Kanae was smart enough to tease the actual reason out, not that Kyoko was ready to admit it.

"W- what? What do you mean hide?" Kyoko blurted out, almost too loud.

"Aren't you and Tsuruga-san dating? You haven't told me directly, but with the way you're acting around him these days it seems you're more comfortable with him," Kanae said, once again hitting the nail on the head.

"It's not like that," Kyoko snapped back, perhaps a bit too aggressively.

"I can understand why you're hiding it. You should've seen Lory when he found out that Yashiro and I were together, or his reaction when we told him we weren't dating," Kanae lamented. Kyoko felt bad for her. She wouldn't wish that upon anyone, particularly her best friend. "I'm never going to graduate from LoveMe now!"

At one time, Kyoko would've bowed down to apologize to Kanae both for keeping secrets and for her time in the LoveMe section, but she knew that would draw too much attention. "I'm sorry," Kyoko apologized with only a small bow.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised though. Lory's been way too invested in your relationship with Tsuruga-san. I don't want to imagine what he'll be like when he finds out you're dating, and not on his terms," Kanae said with a hint of humor.

"Way too invested?" Kyoko questioned. She knew that Lory had an interest, but nothing over the top.

"Haven't you noticed any of his attempts to get you together? Hell, he's even trying one right now!" Kanae was getting less frustrated with her friend's naivety, but in a case like this it was unforgivable. Lory's attempts were so obvious Kanae swore everyone in LME knew about his machinations.

"No?" Kyoko questioned. She wasn't sure that was the right answer.

"Not the time he got you to wait on sick Tsuruga hand and foot? Not the time he made you to be all over each other and stay in the same hotel room for weeks on end? Not the careful scheduling to make sure you two could 'practice' together at his apartment? Not his desire to have you two cross paths in dramas and at the TV stations? Not his glee to have you model sexy underwear and then making sure Ren got the sexy pictures?" Kyoko regretted telling Kanae about that one. "Not how he found time to send Ren to the US for your fashion show when he probably could've been making money for Lory in Japan? Not when he gave you watered down vodka before you left the Grateful party?"

Kyoko blushed. "So what's he doing now?"

"You didn't have to remain at Ren's apartment. The paparazzi left the Daruma-ya a few days after you got back, yet Lory insisted you remain at Ren's. He made sure that paparazzi would follow you to his building and set a scandal in motion. Now he probably intends to suggest you get into a relationship with Ren so that it looks better when the scandal breaks," Kanae explained, practically gagging in disgust.

"I think… I think we're still going to keep it private," Kyoko said.

"Seriously, it's the best plan," Kanae said, slowly stirring the ice in her nearly empty glass. "Just make sure you're extra careful now. Lory's really desperate if he's manufacturing a scandal around you after one just got resolved."

"How about you and Yashiro?"

"He's happy enough that we're 'expressing our love' as Lory puts it. Besides, he's not going to manufacture a scandal around a moderately popular newbie actress and a manager," Kanae said. "If Yashiro heard what Lory was saying to Sebastian correctly, he's hoping I just get pregnant so we have to get married. He doesn't expect we'll actually properly date any time soon."

Kyoko's face became bright red as she once again descended into rambling about her friend.

"Kyoko. Kyoko! It's not going to happen. We're being careful," Kanae harshly whispered at her. When Kyoko didn't stop, Kanae dragged her out of the café and onto the alley, trying to find the nearest shop with pretty things that would distract her enough.

A jewelry store was enough to stop the rambling about Kanae and turn it into a seemingly random list of names given to pretty things. That was better.

* * *

Fortunately for Kyoko, catching up on school between Christmas and New Year's had occupied most of her time. Although the time at school before Christmas caught her up, she needed to get a massive head start to deal with the month she would be away. That month was the second to last before her graduation, so she needed to keep up to pass her exams. While she had heard there would be a tutor on set, she spent many hours with her teachers to get the best instruction possible. She doubted the tutor would know enough Japanese literature, history, or government to really help.

It was helpful not to have Ren there to distract her. She had been thinking about that night – her birthday. If he was here, and more of that would happen, she knew she wouldn't have the will to stop him as soon as she had. Kyoko wanted it – no, she wanted him – too much to stop. Even if she still wasn't sure she was ready.

He didn't return until just before she went to bed on New Year's Eve. After assuring her that his grandmother was fully recovered he went to the kitchen to grab an expensive bottle of champagne and two flutes. She didn't dare to watch as he stripped right in front of her and put on pajamas. Kyoko did watch as he filled the flutes and handed her one.

She knew that was a dangerous prospect. When Lory had given her alcohol at the Grateful party, something happened between her and Ren. Still, she didn't want to refuse Ren, and she did like what had happened, so she took it and began to sip carefully.

Ren's arm crawled around her back, but in a tender and caring way rather than a lustful one. To his surprise, Kyoko was the one to give him a deep kiss and put her tongue into his mouth. If she was drunk off of the tiny amount of alcohol she'd consumed, he didn't know, but he knew it would have to stop. He knew he would take advantage of her if they both got drunk, and he certainly didn't want that to happen. Not only would she end up regretting it, but it was likely he'd go too rough. Ideally, neither of them would be intoxicated the night they consummated their relationship. Of course, that's why he brought the alcohol in the first place: to give himself another excuse not to sleep with her the night before a big trip.

She broke the kiss shortly after and smiled. "Welcome back, Corn," she said in a soothing voice.

"I'm home, Kyoko," he returned. "Happy New Year," he said gently before kissing her again.

They lay down next to each other and turned Ren's TV on to watch the New Year's fireworks, silently sipping their drinks. Neither looked back at the other until midnight passed, the fireworks were over, and the TV was off. Almost as soon as they did, they fell asleep, not quite prepared for their flight back to America. It would have been preferable to stay like this another day.

* * *

 **A/N:** I didn't want to make this too too long, so we cut off there. Soon back to America they go, fluff ensues, and media fodder is produced.

Note that the story may deviate slightly from ALiH, because lazy me is too lazy to cross-reference all the details. I'll try to keep it as similar as possible.


	11. A Surprising Scene

**A/N:** Back to the action. Perhaps more fluff here, perhaps less. Who knows how far I'll get here.

I'm not going into detail about the movie shoots or anything for several reasons. First, and foremost, is because people wanted a shipping fic and since they're trying to avoid disclosing their relationship, Ren and Kyoko's interactions are very boring shipping wise here. Also, filming for actors involves lots of sitting and waiting, which isn't always exciting, particularly when Ren and Kyoko are trying not to show any relationship between them. I'm not inclined to write Oscar-bait script, so I'm going to write small things about their characters and relevant scenes, but not go all out on it.

P.S. One scene (after the 4th cut) may be a bit disturbing to some, so read with discretion.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **A Surprising Scene**

Ren had barely dyed his hair back to brown when he and Kyoko rolled back onto set January 2nd. Because they were using backlots near LA to film, Kyoko was able to stay with the Hizuris. Unfortunately for Ren, he was still hiding his identity and therefore could only get away with it for the first night back when his hair was still golden. That meant he would be staying far away from her holed up in some top hotel he didn't want to wait around at.

Here he was, with his brown hair and Kyoko walking to set with him for the last time this film. He wished it wasn't, but it had to be. Unless…

Ren was brought out of his thoughts by the very man he was dreading for so many reasons. Said man gleefully walked towards him and quickly wrapped an arm around Ren.

"Ren! How was Japan? It's great to have you back on set!" The energetic man had light brown hair cropped short to his head for the movie. The make-up and costume indicated to Kyoko that he was playing an American guard. If he knew Ren, he must have been one of the actors, not an extra. He finally noticed Kyoko, "And this must be her! Kyoko! Nice to meet you! I'm Brent Wilford." He reached his hand out to shake Kyoko's.

Although Kyoko was taken aback by his use of her first name so casually, she reminded herself that it was normal in America and reached her hand back out to shake his. She wasn't sure how many shakes were appropriate, so she let him do all the moving.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Wilford," Kyoko said.

"You don't have to be so polite, call me Brent," he jokingly chastised her. "Hey, you got a good girl here Ren," Brent added. Kyoko gagged, worried their secret had been spilled, but Ren stood calmly flashing his most annoyed smile. Kyoko knew what it meant, but Brent didn't and he kept joking around with Ren. "Don't worry, I won't pull a Kuon on you," he laughed.

Just then, someone called him back to set and he mercifully left them alone. Kyoko noticed that Ren flinched as Brent pulled his phone out and began to type.

"Be careful of him Kyoko," Ren warned. "He's not always the most trustworthy."

Kyoko cocked her head in confusion, but said nothing.

Ren took his phone out, spent a minute fiddling with it, and showed it to Kyoko. On the screen was what appeared to be a twitter account under Brent's name. The latest tweet was from only a few seconds before and read:

 _"_ _Met Kyoko today! She's super sweet. She arrived with Ren today, so I guess that's a thing."_ There was even a heart and kissing emoji afterwards.

Kyoko looked up at Ren, this time with a horrified expression on her face. "Lory will know better," Ren assured her, "but the tabloids might not. Brent's a rare breed of actor that thrives off of tabloid drama, so he gets himself involved with it. That's how he gets his fans, even though he's a good enough actor that he doesn't have to do it."

"So, he'll expose us?" She whispered to Ren.

He shook his head. "He'll try, but he'll have no solid evidence. It's enough to start the rumors because he's our costar, but without any video or picture evidence in this day and age the media will be quick to move on from it. We just have to make sure he doesn't get pictures," Ren quietly lamented. He knew Brent would try, the gossip king he was.

Kyoko paused in thought, but once again cocked her head in confusion. "So what did he mean by 'pulling a Kuon'?"

Ren flinched. Kyoko swore she saw his face contort into a Cain-like expression for a second, but let him explain himself. She knew Kuon wasn't anywhere near who Ren was today, but that didn't mean she didn't feel a bit jealous at times.

After a brief pause to make sure they were alone, Ren began in a hushed tone. "I'm sure you know I slept around when I was younger," he waited for Kyoko's nod. "Well, towards the end of that period, I heard rumors that Brent's girlfriend was a beard and wanted to get laid."

Kyoko looked confused once more, probably by the American slang. She still wasn't good at that, and hadn't looked at the slang dictionary Kuu had gotten her.

"Basically, the rumor was that he was gay and had a girlfriend to hide it. Because he wasn't actually interested in her romantically, she didn't sleep with him, and wanted to sleep with someone." Kyoko's slightly wider eyes told him she had gotten it, so he went on. "I'd never met him, but his girlfriend was working with me on a project, so I asked if she'd sleep with me and she agreed. Brent found out and broke up with her, but I never did get to meet him. That was pretty soon before Rick died."

He tried to read Kyoko's face, but she maintained a level expression. He'd hoped she wouldn't be too mad at him, but was relieved to only receive a small slap on the arm. "You were a real scumbag back then, you know that? It's good you're not like that anymore."

Ren nodded. "I was too young to be involved in that stuff, but I was anyways. I'm a bit horrified myself being reminded of that," he admitted. "In all fairness, I think he does have a boyfriend now, so it's possible the rumors were true and the girlfriend was just looking for an excuse to break up with him." Kyoko gave him another small slap to indicate to him that she didn't like his justification, but didn't seem terribly angry.

"So what's she doing now?" Kyoko was generally curious. A scandal like that in Japan would ruin a girl's career, and she wondered if it had done that girl in.

"I haven't kept up with American pop culture, but I think she's still in the industry. Brent and her are a few years older than me, so it's possible she tried to use the scandal as a jumping off point for getting more mature roles," Ren said. Kyoko was a bit shocked that they hadn't tried to play down the scandal, but assumed the phrase Kuu had told her ('any attention is good attention') was really true in American show biz. Not that she wanted to take advantage of that. She still had a career in Japan that was much more important to protect.

"We should get back before they notice we're gone. Brent's probably noticed if no one else has," Ren said, leading Kyoko back to the set.

"Ah! Ren, Kyoko," said the director. "You're here. I don't have anything for you to do today, but I have the revised scripts and shooting schedule for the month to give you. I think they're on my chair," he told them as he pointed to a canvas chair in a dark corner of the building near a large camera. "Brent can't focus on the scene, so we're going to call it a day today anyways. Why don't you just go home since you can't watch anything?"

Both heartily agreed, grabbing their papers up quickly and walking out the door.

* * *

Due to the newly rearranged schedule, Kyoko's first day on set wasn't for until a few days after she had arrived, so she hadn't seen Ren. She could only call him when she was absolutely sure Kuu was out of the house, so she didn't get many opportunities to do so. Of the few times she was able to try, he was only able to pick up once.

The first day on set was a scene with Brent. Ren wouldn't be on set that day. Instead he was doing various modeling jobs and travel commercials for the Japanese market during his free time. Kyoko often wondered if Yashiro was as much of a workaholic as Ren to help him get and schedule all of his jobs.

She had read this scene quite a few times to make sure her lines were perfect. It was her first day on set, and on location the full staff hadn't been there. Today was another day she needed to prove that she belonged in this movie. She was the first to show up, before the set was even unlocked, and sat quietly in hair and make-up to seem professional. No amount of tugging or fussing would make her flinch as she went over her lines and her planned actions.

Today she would only be doing one scene, and it was only one of her two scenes with Brent. As if Ren's words of caution about his love of gossip and scandals were prophetic, he turned out to be playing an adversary of sorts for Ren. The character had a similar background to Ren's, a young American-raised man figuring out his future, but had a different fate because he was white: serving in the military as a guard at the prison camp. That and the character's tendency to harass the prisoners, particularly Kyoko's, put him at odds with Ren's character. Several more shots between their characters had been filmed on location, but Brent was only seen eyeing her or commenting about her from afar, so she wasn't made privy to that plot point. Kuu had warned her that they wouldn't tell her some small details about her storyline so she could give more genuine reactions if possible. That was apparently one of the director's favorite tricks for getting good performances out of actors, no matter how experienced they were.

They would be filming the scene in which he first confronts her near the watch house. Kyoko knew he was scripted to say the nasty things to her, but that didn't do much to make her less scared of Brent. She wondered if that was intentional. The script for the second scene hadn't reached her hands, and she was asked to leave the room during the read through of that scene. Perhaps they wanted her to be scared _and_ caught by surprise. So far their attempts at both were working. Due to the current sets built, and what would be built next, her other scene with Brent wasn't set to be filmed until the last week. That would make her apprehension stew.

* * *

The days on set were spent with so much waiting time, Kyoko's apprehension was given time to grow. She filmed many scenes on set with Ren and Kuu.

Although out of order, she had gotten through her whole storyline with Ren by the end of the third week of January. Only little details and the scene with Brent were left. Her character bonded with Ren's character over their shared apprehension for the future and their treatment at the camp. After Kyoko's uncle, Kuu's character, dies, their characters would only find their friendship grow stronger because they had no relatives or other friends they knew.

Kyoko had many scenes with Kuu's character, although the last ones they shot were enough to draw real tears from her eyes. In those scenes, she tried to nurse his very sick character back to health in a futile attempt to keep him alive. Those feelings made her question if she was really happy not to have parents: was it better not to have to mourn them, or to have them to take care of and love you?

That answer came the day of shooting before her last scene with Brent; the day they filmed Kuu's death scene. As she watched him "die" through the eyes of her character, she knew how hard it would be to lose her parents. Even so, she knew she couldn't become who she was today without Kuu or Julie. The love she had received in only a few short years, or months as her character had, was more than enough to justify any pain of loss. The emotion of the scene left her crying long after it was shot, so much so that Kuu spent time reassuring her that he was okay. It took half an hour before she could begin re-takes of the scene, but she got through it.

When the shoot for that day was over, she was so relieved she forgot that something big was happening the day after. Unfortunately, Ren called to break her out of her reverie. He had gotten to set that day to film a scene where he comforted Kyoko over Kuu's "dead" body, but left earlier than her due to a call he had with Lory that night.

"Kyoko," he said softly, almost cautiously. "Are you prepared for tomorrow?"

She shook her head, but remembered it was a call. "I never got the script for it," she replied.

"So he doesn't want you to know. I just want you to know I'll be there to help you, both inside and out of the scene, okay?" That made Kyoko more nervous.

"I know," she said, entirely confused as to what he was nervous about.

"Just know you'll be okay," Ren assured her. "I should be getting to bed. I love you Kyoko. I'll see you tomorrow." He hung up.

Kyoko lay awake that night, wondering what about the scene had made Ren so concerned. If she could get through today, she could get through anything. That's what she tried to tell herself, at least.

* * *

The next morning when Kyoko arrived on the set tensions were high. Ren was forcing Yashiro to do something that would occupy his day, but Yashiro doubted his motives and was therefore not ready to budge quite yet. The director was giving very stern instructions to Brent. A laugh from Brent sent the director on even more of a tirade.

Even when Kyoko exited her make-up trailer an hour later, she could tell something was off. Now Ren was confronting the director and asking him with a positively deadly smile why Kyoko wasn't made privy to the details of today's scene. She swore he would go ballistic if he let the slightest inclination of Cain or Kuon through. Brent sat in a corner looking like a scolded child, but sporting a mischievous grin indicating he was ready for more trouble. Just what was being filmed today?

She knew the scene took place shortly after Kuu's death, when she was mourning in their little space of the internment camp, but nothing else was told to her. The costume she recognized as the one she had worn (in a more disheveled form) for the location shoot in which she and Ren had run out of one building and through the forest of the island.

Ren noticed her coming in shyly and immediately ditched the director to talk to her. In a bold move he hugged her and assured her that her acting would own the scene, no matter what the director did. As he had the night before, he once again assured her that he would protect her, to which she nodded. They broke apart quickly and went to get final touch-ups before filming.

Only a few minutes later, the director ordered the actors to set. Ren waited to the side in his chair, as did Brent, while the first part of the scene was shot. It was a simple scene of Kyoko crying in the corner, but they had wanted several takes and angles of it. Thankfully no props needed re-setting or set dressings needed to be changed so filming went relatively quickly.

This was where Kyoko didn't know what would happen, and that scared her more than anything. Not only was everyone tense about this scene, but she also didn't know how well she could improve. The old fear of failure and disappointing those relying on her crept up on her as she sat on the "dirty" floor waiting for the director to call action. He gave one final instruction that made Kyoko even more nervous: "Kyoko! Try to get away from him, struggle!" She didn't know what that meant, but she would find out soon enough as the countdown to filming began.

Brent, in the cocky stance of his character entered the set and approached her. That alone took five or six takes to get right, only ramping up Kyoko's nervousness. She saw that multiple cameras were being brought in to film the next scene. She'd only seen this done for one other scene – a fight scene Ren had not been privy to, so they would get all of his raw, confused emotion the first attempt with no re-takes necessary. It took careful precision and disguises for the cameramen, but the director insisted on it.

Finally, the countdown to what Kyoko assumed was making everybody tense happened. Shortly after the scene began, Kyoko understood why.

Brent, in character, came upon her with some rude remarks before grabbing her chin roughly and appraising her face. Soon he pulled her into a rough kiss. Partially because of instincts, and partially due to the director's instructions, she struggled to get free from his hold, but she found it impossible. Her small frame was no match for that of a hulk like Brent. Her eyes continued to drip fake tears from the earlier scene and her hands remained shaking. Her weakness allowed his hands to get to her shirt, ripping it open and exposing the period-appropriate bra she was wearing. Kyoko tried to crab-walk away before he brought her hands hostage above her head and slipped his other hand up her skirt, skimming his hand along her butt.

Just as she thought she was about to be molested on camera, Ren's character burst into the scene and practically dragged Brent off of her. No matter how good of an actor he was, Kyoko could see that real anger was fueling his aggressive performance. She still shook, but a feeling of relief fell over her to have him here. This was acting, but everything felt real due to the shock. She wasn't sure if what the director had done – allowing her to go into this unknowingly was even legal – but she knew it had gotten the best performance out of her. That didn't mean she would ever, _ever_ allow this type of thing to happen again. No wonder Ren was so angry and the set was tense.

Suddenly, Ren grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the corner to the fake outside on the set. There was a brief pause to change the cameras around as she reached the door, but Ren didn't assure her further. She saw Brent get his phone out while the two of them waited, and assumed the threat of his rumor-mongering was holding Ren back. Still Brent watched with hawk-like eyes.

They were moved to a different set, only a short distance away from the first, which was set up like a forest clearing on a slope. She assumed this is where they ended up after the running scene. Kyoko was only given a few short lines to memorize for the scene and with very few details, so they felt no need to give them a lunch break to practice on. Instead there seemed to be an urge to get this day over with, and understandably so.

Both Ren and Kyoko entered the set from the "downhill" side and sat down on rocks. Ren was panting while Kyoko continued to sob. Instead of the prescribed dialogue, when the cameras began rolling both left the scene a silent testament to their struggle. It took two full minutes before Ren got up and slowly walked over to Kyoko, who was holding her shirt closed. He grabbed one hand and said only one thing to her: "Daijoubu?" He asked in Japanese. Kyoko couldn't tell if he was in character or not the way he looked at her with severe concern.

She couldn't help it any more. She was upset about that scene; she was upset about the director's methods; she was upset that no one had told her anything, even Ren. Kyoko gave in to her emotions and buried her head into Ren's chest, softly pounding at it as he wrapped his arms around her in an enveloping hug. It wasn't a romantic hug with soft caressing, but instead one that was firm and in control, as if to tell her that she would be okay.

When the director called cut, several members of the staff were teary-eyed, and the director himself clapped.

"That was a great performance! More than I could've ever imagined. You are both free to go for the day," the director informed them. Ren helped Kyoko get up. As they walked off to their trailers both gave small bows to the director, but neither felt the need for a more respectful deep bow or handshake. Where Kyoko made eye contact, Ren was tempted to ignore the director.

* * *

Kyoko had the trailer to herself to change, but she went over to the bed to cry first. Today wasn't okay, and she knew it.

Suddenly, someone began to furiously knock on the door. She hadn't locked it, and the person must have found this out; the door began to open quickly. It shut just as quickly, and she heard the lock click shut. God she hoped it wasn't the director or Brent or Kuu or even her make-up artist. But when she turned around, she saw Ren walking towards her.

Ren gave her a deep but tender kiss. He had been angry all week about the scene from today, and he wasn't about to let Kyoko deal with its consequences on her own. He would help her come to terms with what the idiot director had made her do. She was his top priority, even if Brent had posted pictures of their hug at the beginning of the day and in the last scene to various social media platforms with the caption 'And people say they aren't dating?' Even if he really had seen Brent with his camera ready watching him enter Kyoko's trailer. No. That could wait for later. She was the only thing in his world right now. Nothing could draw him away.

She let him crawl into the bed next to her and for once she allowed his arm to wrap around her waist. Ren heard her stop crying after he rubbed one hand along her arm, so he continued to do it until her even breathing indicated she had fallen asleep. He joined her soon after.

* * *

Kuu had rushed to set as soon as he saw the blow-up on social media. It involved something about Ren entering Kyoko's trailer. He was half excited to see if they were really dating, and half worried something had gone wrong with the scene today that caused Kyoko to freak out. Either way the photo Brent posted of Ren going into her trailer didn't look good out of context. Nor did a tabloid's tweet citing an anonymous source on set claiming the neither of the two had come out quickly.

Brent's photos had been taken down quickly by the production company, the first set by explaining he posted photos from filming and rehearsal that were not to be made public yet. The picture of Ren entering the trailer was almost immediately taken down, but the tabloid refused to delete their tweet. Kuu knew his son fucked up big time. That one would be hard to explain away.

At first he knocked gently on the door, but after a minute he decided to try the door. Unfortunately it was locked, and even more unfortunately a sleepy and very angry Ren greeted him when the door opened. Kuu forced his way inside, not trusting Ren to tell him any truths.

"So, son. Did you think this was a smart idea?" He began to appraise the scene. Kyoko's costume was nowhere in sight, and the door to the trailer's bedroom was shut. He wouldn't be able to assess her condition. Ren's clothes were slightly wrinkled and his hair slightly mussed, but nothing like it would be after a romp in the bed. Kuu began to sniff around, seeing if he could smell any sex in the air, but he couldn't.

"Keep quiet. She's asleep," Ren hissed at his father.

"And why are you in here exactly? And for four hours? Surely you know it's a scandal by now." For emphasis, Kuu showed the tweet in question to Ren, along with the pages of fan reaction tweets.

Ren blanched. He knew this would be hard to fix: he couldn't just explain this away by telling the truth or bending it slightly. When two individuals with dating rumors surrounding them were alone in any capacity, but particularly one with a bed, it was near impossible to prove suspicions of sex wrong. As a teen, he'd learned that lesson well, even if the suspicions were always true when he was younger.

"I also know at least one US entertainment show and a few tabloids have picked up on the romance rumors surrounding you two. You're not well enough known or liked here to justify much coverage, but they'll give it just enough attention to add more intrigue to the production. In Japan it hasn't gone into press yet, but I bet it will," Kuu scolded him. "You better come up with some way to protect my daughter's reputation."

"Lory will figure something out," Ren said, trying to sound hopeful. Both he and his father knew he wasn't naïve enough to really believe that.

"Just hope there's some big story to cover this up soon. In the US it may blow over quickly because you're not well known, but in Japan this'll be news. Your couple name is already trending in Japan, and it's not even morning there yet!" Kuu turned around, frustrated but amused. He and Lory had failed to force them to date because of any previous scandals, but surely to protect Kyoko's public image they would need to now. Yes, this was unintentional and far more scandalous than they wanted, but it would work well. First, he needed to know what really happened. "Kuon," Kuu said to get Ren's full attention. "What really did happen?"

Ren turned his back to Kuu, refusing to face him. He had no idea if Kuu was told about the nature of the scene, but didn't want to be the one to inform him. If Kuu found out, he would certainly cause a scene. Ren knew he had to be vague about the scene, but would tell the truth about what had happened afterwards. Sometimes the truth would help his case the most, and here he may use it to prevent Kuu and Lory from using the incident to scheme. "We filmed a very tough scene today. Kyoko was not informed about the details, and because the scene was highly upsetting to her. After we finished filming, she remained crying, so I came here to make sure she was alright. She asked me to stay with her until she was done, so I did. Now she's asleep, but I don't think it would be good to leave her here alone tonight."

"Is that why you looked so sleepy when you answered the door then, Kuon?" Kuu raised an eyebrow. "You were keeping her company? In the bed?"

Ren's eyes fell back into a focused ire directed at Kuu as he turned to face the man in question. He would lie. "No, on the couch."

Kuu could tell easily the couch was too short for him to fit on, but didn't want to upset Ren further. He walked to the bedroom door and peeked inside to check on Kyoko.

"Why don't you help her to my car so I can take her home for the night? She doesn't have any filming tomorrow, correct?" Kuu questioned.

"No. I believe she's done for the project. I have three days left and then we're doing the wrap party," Ren said icily. He entered the bedroom as Kuu sat on the couch to wait for them.

Inside the bedroom, Ren woke Kyoko with a kiss. Her eyes fluttered open in confusion until she saw Ren.

"Good evening, Kyoko," he said smoothly. He got the street clothes she'd come in out of her closet and brought them to the bed for her. The costume hangars and bag were on a nearby chair. "Kuu's here to pick you up. I'll go out so you can change, okay?"

Kyoko nodded, but grabbed his sleeve. "Don't leave, Ren." He was surprised, but moved to sit on a chair. She turned bright red. "B- but can you turn around?" He did so, staring at the now empty closet until she declared herself ready to go.

They walked out of the room together to find Kuu ready to leap off the couch. He hugged Kyoko, but said nothing beyond a greeting. All three walked silently out to Kuu's car and left the set for the day, thanking their lucky stars the day was over. They weren't ready to think of what the next day would bring.

* * *

 **A/N:** There is no A/N.


	12. A Suprisingly Bad Mistake

**A/N:** I honestly don't have much to say about this chapter. I'm on a bit of a writing spree, so there may be a new chapter as soon as early next week.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **A Surprisingly Bad Mistake**

Kyoko sat on Kuu's couch listening to the radio with a blank stare on her face. It was one day after they had shot that wretched scene and Kuu was now back to his occasional guest appearances on local radio. Normally Kyoko would have watched the appearance out of respect for her "father," but today she was doing so with much anticipation. Surely the host would ask about the current movie, and about her relationship with Ren.

No matter how many times over the past few hours both Kuu and Julie had assured her these rumors were just a part of the business and that she would be okay, Kyoko couldn't help but worry. Surely Ren's Japanese fans would hate her. Surely her pure image would be shattered. (Well, she had to admit her roles tended to be far from pure, but she was) Surely some of her fellow actresses wouldn't want to work with such a shameless actress that had slept with the object of their affections. The negative thoughts about her return to Japan kept stewing in her head, plaguing her thoughts.

Suddenly, Kuu's voice snapped her out of her funk.

"Ah, well. Those two are really close friends," Kuu said. "They both like each other a lot, and I think everyone who's seen them together for more than a second – or even seen one react to the other's name – can see it. They're too stubborn, though. Neither one will ever admit their love, so here we are, with them as annoying stubborn friends."

The host laughed at that. "Are you sure?" Kyoko could hear the smugness in their voice.

"Yeah! Yesterday when I went into Kyoko's trailer to try and see if they really had done the deed, I was greeted by a fully dressed Ren napping on the couch. Kyoko was in the bedroom behind a locked door," Kuu laughed. Kyoko was relieved he bought Ren's excuse, or was at least using the same excuse. "Seriously! With them like that, I doubt I'll ever get grandchildren."

"Grandchildren? Wouldn't you need Kyoko to marry Kuon to get grandchildren?"

"Kuon's being as stupid about relationships as Ren and Kyoko right now. I'm talking about Kyoko, my beautiful son," Kuu said proudly.

"Well, if she's your son, how's she supposed to give you grandchildren with another boy?" The host seemed to be slipping from amusement with Kuu's eccentricities to frustration.

"She's a girl, but she's like a son to me," Kuu explained.

The host sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever truly understand you, Kuu."

"You don't have to!" Kuu said cooly.

That was the end of their conversation about her, so Kyoko began to check her phone for the first time that day. Even though it was the afternoon, she'd been too scared to see what people would say. While most were texts from people she barely knew asking for the full story, Kanae sent her a link.

The link went to Lory's official blog. Kyoko rarely checked it. The blog was usually written by Sebastian or the company's social media manager and discussed Lory's daily themes and their inspirations along with Lory's notes on LME talents. While Ren was sure Lory wanted to run it, but his blog would've contained long rants about Ren being boring and the importance of love in everything. Kyoko admitted Ren was right about that. Despite the lack of Lory's true eccentricities, his blog was very popular.

This post Kanae had linked her to was one of the few they let Lory himself write, and it appeared to be an unedited rant. The title was obviously edited by a PR person: "A Statement Regarding the Actress Kyoko." Dread filled her.

She read with some disgust as Lory's five-page rant discussed that she was in LoveMe for her inability to understand and act upon romantic love. It culminated a full page airing of Lory's frustrations that despite her admitted feelings for Ren, she had not acted on any feelings. Lory had left only a paragraph to contemplate adding Ren to the LoveMe section due to his resistance to love.

Lory's post made Kyoko wonder if they should just tell him they were dating, but the tweets her phone displayed in response to Lory's post helped convince her that their current act was working well against the scandal.

Several colleagues they had on Dark Moon just tweeted long strings of "w's" in laughter at the post. A high profile LME talent that had worked with both of them tweeted "so true!" with a link to Lory's article.

Chiori commented that everyone at LME was as frustrated about their relationship or lack thereof, likely because Lory himself was growing more obnoxious about it.

An account representing a popular employee of London Hearts asserted that if they were dating, no one had less romantic dates than the two of them – they only ever talked about work and still weren't on a first-name basis. A waitress from a restaurant they had visited together posted a covert photo of the two of them silently eating with blank expressions on their face. The caption read: "Does this look like a date to you?"

Perhaps the most damning post came from Kijima, who put up a blog post in response: "The way Ren looks at her, you cannot deny he loves her; the way Ren treats her, you cannot deny he's a friend. Those two are idiots in love, so maybe I still have a chance with Kyoko." Kijima placed a few strategic "w's" and laughing emojis to indicate it was a joke, but Kyoko wondered if it really was. Ren would say it wasn't.

Unless there was a reshoot she needed to do in the next few days, Kyoko vowed not to leave the house. She didn't have the buffer of many colleagues who would defend her in the US. Hopefully Kuu would be enough. Julie hadn't offered a response on her social media accounts.

* * *

Kyoko dreaded heading out of the Hizuri's sprawling mansion in the limo that was driving her and her parents to the wrap party for the movie. It would be her last night in LA – she and Ren were returning to their duties in Japan the next day. Julie had put her in yet another little black dress and sky high heels. Instead of the wig she wore every day on set, Kyoko had her natural hair proudly on display.

After a torturous drive, Julie practically shoved her out of the limo to greet Ren. He stood at the door looking terribly handsome in his designer suit. The paparazzo behind a bush at the door to the club kept Ren from greeting her with more than a smile and a simple "Hello," but it warmed her heart to see him waiting for her.

Julie and Kuu watched as they stared at each other for a long period of time. While this was typical for them, she saw Ren's eyes settle on Kyoko's body and knew she had done a good job. Well, she'd done a good job at making Ren want Kyoko. She didn't know if that would pay off. Kuu elbowed her to indicate that they needed to go inside. Both watched their children carefully throughout the night, waiting to see if something would happen.

Ren swore he had only turned his back for one second – ONE second – and someone had already given Kyoko a flute of champagne. He was well aware that these wrap parties would give alcohol to anyone regardless of legality. They encouraged heavy drinking. That had gotten him in trouble before. Before he could tell her what that drink was, she had already downed it. Had she not noticed the strange taste of alcohol? Of course she hadn't, he was left to conclude, Kyoko was too eager to accept any kindness to question it. He should've warned her. He would have to watch her carefully.

Only a twenty minutes after she had arrived, all of Kyoko's anxieties about the party seemed to disappear. She was more than happy to greet the entire crew, even if she had never seen them before. Kyoko didn't even feel anger, fear, or frustration when talking to Brent or the director. She practically danced away from Ren in her enthusiasm to talk.

Ren watched his shy girlfriend turn into a social butterfly before his eyes. Brent was no longer a threat – his manager had given him a long talk about proper set behavior after the director practically exploded about the leaked photos of Ren and Kyoko's scene. That didn't mean he didn't trust him not to flirt with Kyoko. He wasn't sure even an inebriated Kyoko would pick up on any advances, but he wouldn't take a chance. Unfortunately, the times he had to turn towards the many men and women eager to talk to him prevented him from watching Kyoko closely. After one such conversation was done he heard a clink. He turned around to see Kyoko had finished a second drink.

While he tried to step up his vigilance, only an hour later she had downed another drink. Because of her small stature Kyoko was already pretty drunk from the three drinks she'd had. Ren could see her stumbling around the dance floor and heard her slurred words greet him. The final straw was when he felt Kyoko grope his butt. He would've been happy to properly respond to that gesture if it wasn't from Kyoko. If Kyoko did that, something was obviously wrong. In this case, she was obviously too drunk to be in public. He hadn't even had one.

Ren rushed to grab her hand and tried to lead her to the door. Julie hadn't missed the butt-grab or Ren's insistence on immediately removing Kyoko from the premises. She knew Kyoko was drunk, so she hoped her son would act like a gentleman.

"Rennnn. Where're you taking meeee?" She drawled out in her drunkenness. Thankfully it was Japanese, and he didn't believe any of the cast or crew aside from his father spoke Japanese well enough to understand drunken, slurred Japanese. His father was up on a balcony, so surely he hadn't heard Kyoko's slip-up in her use of his name.

"I think you need to go home. We have to go back to Japan tomorrow, so you'll need to get to sleep," Ren said, trying to remain calm.

"But I haven't even seen Yashiro-san yet." Her voice sounded like a whine.

"Yashiro-san left yesterday, Mogami-san," he responded, trying to text his hired driver with one hand as the other held Kyoko outside of the club's door. The car came over quickly, and as soon as it did he somehow got Kyoko to enter the car. He went in the front seat hoping it would appear more proper if the paparazzo hadn't left yet. Then again, nothing about leaving a party alone with a drunk girl you were rumored to be _and were_ dating was proper. At least everyone else was probably drunk enough not to notice. Brent certainly was, if he wasn't also on drugs. Brent loved his drugs when Kuon knew him, and Ren hadn't noticed any meaningful change. In fact, he'd caught a glimpse of Brent snorting coke with one of the production assistants, because of course he would.

"Sir, where would you like to go?" The driver asked.

Ren paused. It would look bad to not only get into a car with her, but then take her back to his hotel. Taking her back to where she was staying would be a much better choice. He immediately told the driver his parents' address.

During the ride, he waited patiently, listening to her desires to return back to the party because she "didn't politely say goodbye to everyone." Five minutes in, the driver put up the sound barrier and began to eye Ren.

"Are you sure you are not going to do anything improper to her?" He asked.

Ren shook his head. "I'm staying downtown. As I'm sure you know, those parties don't tend to control who they give their alcohol to and accidentally gave quite a bit to her. She's never had any before, so I thought it was best to take her home rather than wait to see what happens."

The driver nodded. "I've heard the stories from other clients of those creepy directors. Will you be staying with her or are you going to a hotel?"

"Going back to my hotel, I'd say. It wouldn't be good to go inside with her considering the rumors with us," he said.

The driver seemed a bit confused, perhaps because neither Ren nor Kyoko had a big enough name for their rumors to register outside of Japan yet. "You sound like a gentleman, so I'd advise you at least wait with her until her guardians get back. The Hizuris were at the party, correct?" So he did at least know Kyoko's name and face. It wasn't completely surprising – the drivers for the movie studios tended to know the names and faces of their potential clients. He might have even driven her somewhere.

"That's correct," Ren responded tentatively.

"I certainly would want to make sure she's safe. As I'm sure you understand, your first time being drunk can be a bit difficult," the driver said.

Ren turned towards him and for the first time took a good look at his face. It was familiar, but he couldn't place it. That wasn't a surprise. As Kuon, he'd had to take rides from this company many times, so he had probably seen all of their best drivers at one point or another. He wondered how this driver would know he had had a bad first drunk night. That was when he was barely thirteen, and it was certainly a shameful memory now. Kuon threw up so much he caused damage to the car. That was deducted from his payout for the movie he had shot, much to his chagrin at the time. That made Ren remember that night and that car ride.

"You can't be! You're still working after that?" Ren exclaimed, breaking his calm character.

"Unfortunately. But I never forget a face from a situation like that," he chortled out. "I won't tell anyone about you. It's understandable you needed a fresh start with what a hot mess you were," he paused, regretting that he said that until Ren began to laugh in agreement. "It worked out really well for you."

Ren nodded, a bit surprised anyone was being that bold to a celebrity. It was what he needed, though: to know his hard work at changing himself had paid off; to know he wasn't just deluding himself.

"We're here," the driver announced.

Before getting Kyoko out, Ren made sure to ask the driver for his card. He needed an outsider to be honest with him in this time, now that he was returning to Hollywood. It would be good to get that feedback. He made sure to thank the driver and tip handsomely.

As they got out, he could tell Kyoko was still just as drunk as when she had left the club, so he took her heels off to help her walk to the front door and up to her room. He watched the car drive off and made sure Kyoko was able to unlock the front door.

When the door closed behind him, he began to look for Kyoko. Ren dropped her shoes as soon as he saw what she was trying to do. Unfortunately, she noticed him as well.

"Reeeeeen! I hate this dress. Can you help me take it off?" She was fumbling with the zipper as she spoke. "But can you get me a hanger? Mom wouldn't be happy if it got wrinkled!"

He debated what to do. He would not take advantage of a drunk Kyoko, he promised himself that. If she was really uncomfortable, though, he wouldn't be opposed. Thankfully, or rather annoyingly, Kyoko had managed to solve his problem for him: when he looked back, the dress was already off. She was left in only her bra and panties. They were matching, lacy, and black. A deadly combination, and likely due to his mother's machinations.

"I couldn't find any hangers for that dress on the coat rack. I'm sure there's an appropriate one in your room," he said, hoping at least to get her out of the front hall. It would not be good if his parents decided to walk in right now.

It worked, but he followed Kyoko to his old room to make sure she followed his instructions. Somehow this situation was made worse because Kyoko was staying there. It was the room he had had sex with countless other women.

He gulped as he saw her drop the dress on his old desk chair. She didn't even close the door before she began to remove her underclothes and plopped herself on the bed. It was his first time seeing her naked, and he was so turned on he felt like his teenage self seeing his first naked woman. Still, he knew he couldn't take advantage of the situation. He would go borrow a shower, relieve himself, and then wait for his parents. At least that's what he convinced himself he would do. When Kyoko was lying naked on the bed in front of him, he wondered if he could really leave.

After a few minutes of staring, and one invitation from Kyoko to join her, he closed the door and went to one of the guest rooms to take a shower. Ren made sure to keep the shower long, hoping Kyoko would be sober enough not to pursue him when he got out. Relieving himself was fairly quick and easy, considering how turned on he was to begin with, and afterwards he turned the water as cold as he could to make sure he wouldn't have to do so again that night.

On his way back downstairs, he had to walk past his old room. When he turned his head to see if the door was still closed, he saw the still naked Kyoko in the doorway.

"Reen?" She still seemed at the very least mildly drunk. "Can you tuck me in?"

His eyes turned wide as dinner plates, but he decided to comply nonetheless. If she fell asleep, there was little risk of her preventing his escape. He went to pull the covers back on his bed. She shyly got onto the bed and he pulled the covers over her as quickly as he could for her modesty.

"Good night, Kyoko. Sweet dreams," he said. He kissed her forehead, but not her mouth. He didn't know where that would lead. It was yet to be seen if drunk Kyoko just hated that particular dress or if she was of the breed that became horny while drunk. He would find that out later, but not tonight. He left her bedside and turned off her light. It was the only time in his life he ever anticipated being happy to leave a naked Kyoko alone in bed.

Ren went back downstairs and sat down on the family's massive couch, waiting for his parents to get home.

* * *

Light shined into the room as Ren woke up the next morning. He looked up to see his father's face.

"You're lucky I found you asleep here, Kuon," he scolded Ren.

"What, Dad?" Ren said groggily.

"I called the hotel to get your luggage sent here, but you have an hour to dye your hair and eat before you leave for the airport," Kuu said. "Kyoko's already completely ready to go, and who knows what you did to her last night."

"I didn't do anything and you know that," Ren said coldly.

"I know. Otherwise you wouldn't be on the couch. You like to cuddle afterwards," Kuu joked. Ren was relieved he was joking. If he truly suspected something had happened to Kyoko, Kuu would be much less jovial. "In all seriousness, even if she's a drunk that likes to be naked, make sure she puts on some PJs before bed. I just about had a heart attack even though I knew you were down here."

Ren nodded. He should've thought of that. Then again, trying to get her to dress would've meant more time with naked Kyoko. He didn't know if he could've handled that without needing another very cold shower.

"Well, I'll get out of here so you can get dressed," Kuu said. He threw Ren's suitcase into the room and left with a small wave. Ren went to the nearest bathroom to work on dying his hair back as quickly as he could, though he knew it wouldn't work out well for him in that short amount of time, and get dressed.

He finally saw Kyoko again when he got into his Father's car to go to the airport. When she saw him, she blushed as red as a tomato. At least he knew she hadn't blacked out. That was a good thing.

"Tsuruga-san?" She asked shyly. "I'm sorry about last night."

"It's okay Mogami-san," he said, putting his sempai hat back on due to his dad's presence. They sat in silence for another ten minutes before Ren spoke up again. "You didn't know what you were drinking. When people get drunk, they tend to do things they wouldn't do otherwise."

Kyoko blushed harder. "I'm sorry I acted so indecently."

"It's no problem at all, Mogami-san," he assured her.

"I bet it wasn't," Kuu said suggestively. "You know you wanted to see that."

Both of them blushed.

"Take this as a lesson for the future, Kuon," Kuu said in a more serious tone. "Alcohol flows at those parties without any thought of the consequences. You should be careful about what you drink."

Kyoko agreed sheepishly, and thanked Kuu for the advice. Ren wasn't sure if the advice was meant for him as well. Not to remind him that he would do stupid things, Kuu knew Kuon learned that lesson, but to remind him that he needed to keep a close eye on Kyoko.

While Kyoko and Ren remained silent, Kuu began to babble about what had happened at the party after they left. Neither bothered to pay close attention.

* * *

It was only in the airport past security that Ren and Kyoko were alone again. A staff member of the airline had brought them into a deserted lounge meant for celebrity customers. As a child, Ren had always mused that this was something only LAX would have. He was probably correct.

When they came in, the TV was playing a famous celebrity gossip show. Both ignored it until they heard something that caused their heads to jerk up towards the television.

"Now for some news about a rumored couple you probably haven't heard of yet, but you surely will in the coming years: Kyouko and Ren Tsuruga," the couple in question looked at each other. They thought they were flying under the radar in the US, but apparently not. "You may know her as Veronica's Stash's spokeswoman for their Asian line. He's the most eligible bachelor in Japan several years running. They're starring in a movie together that will be released this November, and their relationship is drawing buzz. Although they claim they're just very good friends, they are rumored to be a couple in Japan. Despite Japanese colleagues agreeing they're too shy to admit their feelings for each other, keeping them as 'just friends' for now, new evidence suggests they're more. He was alone in her trailer with her for several hours after filming an emotional scene with her last week, and last night he escorted her home from the wrap party. Last night was innocent, though. The paparazzo reports he dropped her off at the house of her adopted parents, Kuu and Julie Hizuri, before he was dropped off at his hotel."

Ren thought he should've tipped the driver more for being smart enough to drive all the way to the front door of his parents' house and then creating a diversion by driving to Ren's hotel. Next time, he told himself.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter's relatively short (~4000 words vs. ~5500) compared to recent ones, but I felt this would be a good point to end it. Hope you enjoyed! I promise citrus will happen soon (maybe the next chapter). There will be another time skip while the two are separated, but that will be explained in the next chapter.


	13. Ren's Surprise

**A/N:** There's a timeskip here because shipping fic and yeah. Basically, there will be an overview of what happened shipping-wise (pretty much nothing), so that we can get on to the fluff/citrusy stuff. Just a warning, there is citrus here.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Ren's Surprise**

Kyoko felt like time had zoomed by far too quickly. It was already November, and she was three days into her two weeks in London. Those first three days were primarily promotion for the film, but included a fitting for the yearly fashion show she was now contracted to be in. Luckily it would be in London this year as well, so she was able to attend.

Neither she nor Ren had seen the film yet; they'd hardly had time to see each other. Ren had been signed on to another American movie and had been in the US all summer. Kyoko had been busy with modeling and Japanese TV dramas. Getting a role in a prestigious American film and the exposure from her modeling campaign had raised her profile quite a bit. As soon as one project was done, another would begin. Kyoko had done two TV roles (one a lead), a movie, and countless campaigns for teen fashion magazines in Japan. She tried to keep her weekly dinners with Ren, but TV appearances for promotion made it difficult. Still they would call each other, even if they could only fit a minute into their schedules to do so.

Now, she knew she would finally get a break to spend with Ren. Even work would be with him again. Her first week in London was filled with promotion for the premiere of the film. Interspersed with interviews for the movie were fittings and rehearsals for the fashion show, which would take place only two days after the premiere. Ren would be with her for all of the movie-related activities, and only two days would be devoted to the fashion show.

The next week would be a vacation in London with Ren. No matter how dedicated she was to her work, Kyoko couldn't wait to get it over with for that week. After nearly 10 months of minimal contact with him, she couldn't wait to get him all to herself, even if was shameful to admit.

* * *

The first time Kyoko really got any contact with Ren in London was the fourth day – the day before the premiere. Today was the press junket, so all of the actors were doing a joint press conference. The day before, each actor had been brought in and out of the hotel's conference room separately to have individual interviews and duet interviews. While Kyoko had had a solo interview, she had been paired with Kuu for her duet interviews. Ren and Brent, his partner, had their interviews much earlier in the day than her due to her schedule for the fashion show, so she hadn't seen him. The first two days had been TV tapings. Although Kyoko played a major character, they only had the star of the film (Ren) along with the two most recognizable actors after him (Kuu and Brent) do the TV show rounds, preventing Kyoko from appearing. It was probably for the best: her activities for the fashion show had been stepped up this year due to her popularity in Japan.

Finally, though, she was all made up by the movie's promotion team and ready to meet the rest of the cast for the press conference. She would have the evening off, Julie had made sure she would be kept busy anyways. Julie had invited her for a dinner she wasn't allowed to refuse, and Kyoko wasn't about to.

"Tsuruga-san! Father!" Kyoko greeted happily as she ran into the holding room where the cast waited. Kuu moved to hug her up so enthusiastically that her feet left the ground. Ren opted for a more refined bow and a smile.

"How have your other activities been this week, Mogami-san?" Ren asked politely.

"It's gone smoothly despite my schedule," Kyoko responded politely. Sometimes she felt almost scripted in the forced politeness with Ren, but she knew it was still necessary.

They'd been dating for nearly two years now, but Lory still had to be kept in the dark. That much was made evident when even a minor model from LME got into a relationship: Lory had a huge pool party to "celebrate love." He even insisted Kyoko and Ren get into the heart-shaped hot tub together "because it would be a great photo-op" and then left them utterly alone. Of course Lory had insisted that Kyoko wear the tiniest bikini he could find for her.

"Has your week gone well, Kuu-san, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko addressed them.

"It has," Ren replied. "Although it would have been nice for you to be at the interviews. There were lots of questions that could've been answered better by you than me."

Kuu, dramatic as ever about his children said, "No. We needed her because she'd brighten up the room. You're far too gloomy, Ren."

"Too gloomy? Both of them were the last time I saw them together on set," Brent said, butting into their conversation. "But at the party Kyoko was the life of it!"

Ren offered a bright smile – his version of a glare. Kyoko bowed politely.

Kuu was again the first one to speak up. "Of course they were gloomy, who wouldn't be after a scene like that? But of course Kyoko overcame it! She's a wonderful actress," he praised. Kyoko swore she saw sparkles form around him and began to blush.

"Attention! You have one minute, and then introductions will begin," said the man running this event. He herded them into a relatively organized line and walked them to a set of stairs by the stage. The director and writer were the first ones out, followed by Kuu, Ren, Kyoko, Brent, and a few of the other actors Kyoko didn't know well. She assumed their scenes were more with Ren. They each sat down behind a microphone at a long table in front of a full room of entertainment reporters.

The one thing her modeling had done was make her more confident in front of an audience. While she would've frozen with nerves only a little over a year ago, now she knew nothing could be more fear-inducing or embarrassing than wearing underwear in front of huge crowds. This still made her heart race with nerves, she would be able to get through it. Unless they asked about _that_ scene, of course.

She watched as most of the questions were directed to the director, writer, and Kuu. Even though Ren played the lead, he wasn't as alluring to the reporters as the big names tied to the project. It confused Kyoko, but she supposed it was something she would have to get used to.

Finally, a question came for him, or rather, _them._ To make it worse, it was about _that_ scene.

"This question is for Kyoko and Ren. Ren spent several hours in your trailer after you completed filming a tough scene. Can either of you give us any details about the scene?"

Ren was the first to speak. "I don't believe I can say that." He looked at the director and waited for a nod. Kyoko wondered how that was enough to tell him anything, but assumed he honed the skill of reading directors' wishes as Kuon. Maybe it was a magical power innate to all Hollywood offspring. "It was a scene between Ms. Mogami and Brent's character that was designed to be very upsetting. I believe we were all affected by it." He moved back from the microphone to allow Kyoko a chance to answer.

"Mr. Tsuruga noticed I was crying and that I ran back to my trailer. Being my mentor, he became worried about me, so he felt it necessary to talk to me about the scene," Kyoko explained. Despite western conventions, both had agreed to use last names. If Lory even had a hint that Kyoko was comfortable using Ren's first name, he would know something was up.

Of course, Kuu had to butt his head into the conversation, possibly to break the tension. "You would know if he did anything improper. No man's allowed to touch my son!" Some reporters that were more familiar with Ren laughed, while others stared in a confused way.

The director, who knew of Kuu's antics almost too well by now, offered a quick explanation. "Kuu likes to think Kyoko's his son. I wouldn't try to understand it." Now all the reporters began to laugh.

When the laughter died down, another reporter asked another question for Kyoko. "Kyoko. Ren has said that your character shows his character that it's necessary to create your own identity outside of the frustrations of your family. An article came out in Japan last winter stating that you grew up without a real family. Now that you have one, do you share the sentiment of Ren's character?"

Kyoko paused. She had no idea that that particular tidbit had ever left Japan. It was never brought up before. Kuu had assured her that reporters would dig deep if they thought there was something up, but western entertainment reporters rarely tried to dig up stuff beyond trivia-worthy information from Japan. She was scared.

"For some time I was very scared to have a family or anyone be close to me, and that led to me creating an identity that was scared of all love. Instead, family and friends forced me to leave my fear behind by forcing themselves into my life. I am now speaking to my mother again as well. I think this love I didn't have before has made me more confident, so I think having a family is important," Kyoko went over her words, worried she revealed too much, but went on to answer the question. "I don't think Mr. Tsuruga was saying that you don't need a family; I think he was saying that you need to build your own identity outside of your family."

Ren nodded. "It's important to have the love of a family, or to have someone in your corner, but sometimes that love can be smothering you. You can create an identity outside of them supported by their love as Kyoko has, or you can be separated from your family entirely as our characters have been."

The reporter took that answer, and the press conference was again handed back to the reporters.

Another reporter gave the next question to Kuu. "Your Son, Kuon, was long thought to be your successor in Hollywood. Now Ren, who played a star-making role you did in Japan, seems to be your successor. From your experience on set, do you think he'll be as successful as you?"

Kuu considered the question for a time before releasing a hearty laugh. "He won't be as successful as me at the box office, that's for sure!" The crowd laughed with him while Ren hid his glare behind another one of his glorious smiles. "But I believe he'll be more successful than me awards-wise. While I was type-cast in action roles from the start, I think Ren has proven to all of the crew here that he is an actor worthy of serious roles from the start. So I think he'll get an opportunity to do many more serious roles than I've been given."

Kyoko found that since this panel was about the movie, there were few questions explicitly about anyone's personal life outside of filming. She was the only one to get such a targeted question. She hoped it was because she was knew to the scene.

* * *

The press conference and photos ran over-time, which meant Kyoko hadn't gotten to meet Julie until nearly two in the afternoon. Again, as seemed to be her habit, Julie took Kyoko to a spa. This time, however, the focus was on Kyoko's hair and make-up. She had a full massage and facial before Julie's friends went to work primping her up to get her ready for dinner. Her hair was pulled into an elaborate up-do while her make-up was done in an elegant but light way.

For dinner Julie kept Kyoko in the clothes she wore for the press conference. They went to a nice restaurant, where Julie made no attempts to approach her about her love life, which was unusual. Instead, Julie focused the conversation on her excitement for the premiere and the fashion show. Kyoko didn't mind the lack of questions about her relationships, but was worried it meant something. She tried not to worry too much about it either way.

After dinner Julie's behavior became more confusing. She confiscated Kyoko's entire purse and turned her own to silent so she could ignore all of Kuu's incessant calls. Julie brought Kyoko to her boutique in London, which was now closed for the evening. The shop was devoid of employees, leaving only Julie and her standing inside. Embarrassingly for Kyoko, the front window displayed the princess set of lingerie Kyoko had worn at the fashion show the year before. It wasn't the exact set she'd worn – that was given to her, and she had given it to Julie for safekeeping. This set was a blue variety exclusive to Julie's boutiques, created as part of her deal for letting Veronica's Stash use her design. Kyoko still didn't know what happened to the set she wore.

Inside, Julie directed Kyoko to a plush stool in the center of the shop, where customers could wait for friends using the dressing rooms. Kyoko waited nervously, wondering just what was up as Julie left her alone to go to the back of the store. Only a minute later, they were reunited. Unfortunately for Kyoko, Julie had the pink, jewel-inlayed lingerie set she had been wondering about. She liked it, but why would she be wearing it now? Was Julie just giving it back to her?

"Why don't you put this on for me, Kyoko?" Kyoko had long learned not to blush at wearing such clothes in front of Julie, but couldn't help do it this time. Perhaps it was because she had no idea why she would be donning the skimpy clothes.

Kyoko eventually relented, going into a dressing room to change quickly. When she got out, Julie began to fuss over the outfit once again, adjusting the bra straps and perfectly aligning the garters. She offered no explanation before she left to go back to the employee area. Julie held a dress bag and carefully appraised Kyoko, who was still standing there nervously. Kyoko was grateful that she was at least going to be wearing a dress over this. But what was the point of that? No one would see the lingerie, so why was Julie fussing over it so much?

As the zipper went down on the dress bag, Kyoko saw a flash of soft pink. Julie gingerly removed the dress from the bag and unzipped the back so that Kyoko was able to easily step into it.

Until she had it fully on and Julie zipped it up Julie had not allowed Kyoko to turn around. Kyoko was in love with the dress. It was obviously inspired by her love of princesses and the matching lingerie set: the soft, floor length A-line skirt had some tulle to make it appear fuller. The bodice was also primarily pink with delicate gold embroidery and soft flowing pink straps that just covered those of her bra. To protect from the November chill, Julie had included a thick red princess cape with a hood.

Julie was ecstatic that Kyoko was so happy, but didn't want to wait longer. She was already running a bit late so she quickly got expensive jewelry and golden slippers onto her joyous adopted daughter and rushed her out to the awaiting horse carriage.

Kyoko had watched the scenery of London pass by on the fairytale ride her mother had arranged for her, but she became increasingly confused as the carriage stopped at the doorstep of an unfamiliar hotel and Julie directed her to get out. Something about Julie's behavior had made her incredibly nervous, even if the night had been perfect so far. Well, it would've been more perfect if Ren was there, but she could hardly admit that to herself.

Inside the hotel, Kyoko wondered if she was in a palace. The ornate wallpaper and gold chandeliers certainly made it seem so, as did the grand staircase. A well-dressed attendant took her cloak for her. Julie did not lead her up the staircase, instead choosing to take Kyoko up in a nearby elevator.

* * *

Ren was growing increasingly nervous. Julie was late at dropping Kyoko off – which he had expected given her late start – but that gave him more time to worry about what was going to happen. His previous insecurities about himself and his terrible past stewed in his mind. He stood staring at the skyline, hoping something would give him courage.

* * *

Julie finally brought Kyoko to the end of a hall and used a room key to open one of the double doors leading into what Kyoko presumed was a hotel room. Inside, she saw a parlor fit for a princess: plush antique couches were arranged under a chandelier and in front of a fireplace. Classical art hung on the pastel walls in gold frames. Finally her eyes settled on the double doors leading out to the balcony. On the other side stood someone she knew very well.

"Corn!" Kyoko gasped out upon spotting the man standing on the balcony. Even though she and Ren were dating, and she had seen his blond hair many times by now, she was always incredibly excited to see it. The fact that he was dressed as a prince only made her happier to see him. She was so excited she didn't notice Julie following her in and closing the door behind.

As she got to the balcony, Kyoko stopped her rush to her fairy prince and reached out to hug him. He allowed her to hug him, but did not hug her back. Another odd piece of behavior. She heard him swallow before he pulled away and grabbed her hands.

"Kyoko," he said, almost tentatively. He stared into her eyes as he said her name again, this time with more confidence. She searched his eyes, looking for an explanation, worried he would abandon her. Noticing this worry, Ren knew he had to get on with his plans.

"Kyoko," Ren repeated a third time. He had never been so nervous in his life. "I know I'm not worthy of you, and I don't know if I ever will be. If you are willing to take me as your fairy prince even with all of my problems, I would be so incredibly grateful." Kyoko stared with wide eyes at his pleading ones. As Ren began to kneel down, Kyoko could only think of a fairy prince greeting his princess with a kiss to the hand. She had no idea what he would ask of her. "Kyoko Mogami, will you please become my princess? Will you marry me?"

Kyoko's brain shut down for a second before her mind began to move a mile a minute. She didn't even notice the beautiful ring he was presenting to her. She began to mumble once again about her being the one that was not good enough. Ren snapped her out of it by standing up to her level and once again staring into her eyes.

"You're perfect, Kyoko," he whispered into her ear.

Slowly, she came to her senses and began to process Ren's request. If a year ago she wouldn't have said no, she certainly wouldn't say no now. The time away from him had convinced her of that much. She pushed back from him this time and nodded shyly. "Yes, yes I will marry you, Corn. No matter who you are – Corn, Kuon, Ren – I will marry you."

Ren was so relieved and so full of joy that he practically swooped her up into his arms. He gave her a passionate kiss on the lips before carrying Kyoko into the parlor room. Unexpectedly, his mother was still there. He had had her arrange the room, Kyoko's delivery to the room, and any details of her dress, but he hadn't given her permission to stay. Then again, he knew if she hadn't posted photographers on adjacent balconies she would certainly be taking her own. If she had photographers, she would've videoed the whole thing. Hopefully Kuu found neither.

"Congratulations, Kyoko, Kuon," Julie said. "I'm so happy for both of you!"

Kyoko blushed while Ren gave her the Tsuruga equivalent of a glare.

"I've ordered breakfast for you two tomorrow, so just call the lobby when you're ready for it. Lory has informed me that Jelly expects to meet you at the other hotel around noon tomorrow to help you get ready for the premiere, but until then please do what you want," Julie winked. Before leaving the room, she whispered in Kuon's ear, "As usual, condoms are in the nightstand drawer." She winked to the couple, said her polite good nights and left the room.

Ren moved to close the balcony doors, which were now letting in chilly air. Along the way he begrudgingly wondered why everyone always had to assume he had a need for condoms when he was alone with Kyoko. Well, he did have a need for them, he just hadn't acted on that need. He turned back to stare at Kyoko, once again taking in the breathtaking sight of her full princess ensemble. "You look beautiful tonight, princess," he complimented her. She blushed once again.

He moved to kiss her, and this time she was more accepting of his lips. She had grown bolder in kissing him during their last year or so together, although they had never gotten as far as they did on her last birthday. In fact, this time she was the one that initiated the tongue action. They finally broke apart after several minutes, bringing Ren back to reality.

"Kyoko," he said softly. "Should we tell Lory about this?"

She shook her head. "He's waited long enough, he can likely wait a little longer," she said. Ren certainly appreciated her sadistic tendencies towards Lory in his opinion of love. He wasn't clear if she realized it was sadistic.

"When would be a good time, then?"

"I think the grateful party would be a good time so we could announce it at once to family and friends," Kyoko reasoned.

Instead of a verbal response, Ren returned to kissing her more fervently. He picked her up and moved her to the adjacent bedroom. She didn't resist.

Once inside the bedroom, Ren quickly pulled her zipper down and her dress off, leaving it on the floor. He was surprised that she didn't flinch. She did, however, interrupt to make sure the dress was properly hung up. To his surprise, she went back to him. The first time he had seen her in this ensemble, she was on stage, so he looked at her appearance as that of a model. This time, she was only showing this to him in the privacy of their hotel room. That made him realize how perfect and hot and sexy she looked in that outfit.

Kyoko began to accept what was going to happen that night. Not because she had to – she knew he would respect any wish she had to not end up in bed with him – but instead because she had finally realized that this was what she needed. Nothing was quite as powerful as that realization, that she was a woman and that she could act like one and not feel ashamed. Her prince was here, and for all she accused him of being a corrupting influence and a playboy, she knew that wasn't the case. She was the one that brought herself to this conclusion through her own process of maturing and accepting the love of others as family, friends, and now as her other half. To prove to herself that she was ready, she began to shed the layers until she was only left in her bra and panties and began to clumsily work on his clothes.

Ren looked away, ashamed. Certainly this was what he had hoped would happen, but seeing how forward Kyoko appeared made him embarrassed. When had _she_ become the forward one? He loved her all the same, but it would certainly take some time to adjust. Not that he would complain about the process of adjustment. He helped her take his jacket and shirt off, but as soon as she began to unbutton his pants he picked her up and plopped her on the bed.

Once on the bed, they began to kiss again. This time, however, Ren was quick to begin butterfly kisses down her neck and to her breasts. When he began to suck at one particular spot – the one she had given him a hickey during their time as Cain and Setsu – she had to pause to remind him that she couldn't get a hickey this close to the fashion show. He never knew a girl could make him so simultaneously turned on an embarrassed at his own stupidity. He should've known that he couldn't give her a hickey. The fashion show was one of the things he'd been anticipating most on the trip.

He sighed into her neck and got to work on her bra. Ren wouldn't dare admit to himself that the trouble he was having getting it off was nerves about making Kyoko uncomfortable; instead he blamed it on his mother's design. Once he finally got it off, he threw it onto the ground. Luckily, Kyoko had her eyes closed and her mouth occupied once again by his, so she didn't see him throwing around a present from Julie. He moved back to her breasts and remained occupied with them for some time, relishing in the cute but sexy noises she was making.

Kyoko laid beneath Ren, now too nervous to do anything proactive, and chose to allow him to continue what he was doing instead. Tonight, she'd let herself relish in his ministrations until she would become comfortable enough to participate herself.

Seeing Kyoko relax, Ren decided it was time to test his luck further and moved his mouth down her thighs. He began to kiss them lightly, causing her to squirm just enough to get her legs open for him. Logic told him not to go so far tonight as to go down on her (that would freak her out), so instead he moved his lips back up to hers and put his hands to work down below. He was relieved to feel she was wet. She wasn't quite ready yet, but he didn't think he would have to worry about finding lube if tonight came to that. Ren began to pull her panties off and waited for her small nod before taking them off completely to throw on the floor.

Kyoko was taken a bit by surprise when he slipped one finger in, and held back a wince when a second entered, but continued to respond to his actions. She knew if she showed any sign of distress he'd stop, and that wasn't what she wanted him to do.

She closed her eyes as she heard the rustling of Ren's remaining garments hitting the floor. She listened as he opened a drawer and fiddled with what she assumed was a condom. She then felt a kiss on her lips and opened her eyes to see Corn's brilliant gem-like ones.

"Are you okay Kyoko?" He asked with a measure of concern.

She nodded before deciding to give him verbal confirmation, "Yes."

The concern didn't leave his face, and he asked one more question of her: "Are you absolutely sure you're okay with this?"

This time there was no nod. "Yes, Corn," she smiled. He nuzzled her nose before helping her move to a position he assured her would be more comfortable for her. Kyoko wasn't sure if it would be, but assumed he knew better than she did. Once more she closed her eyes as he entered her. This time she couldn't hide the wince of pain from her face. When she felt him try to pull out, she wrapped an arm around his waist to indicate she didn't want him to. After waiting a minute to adjust, she pulled on his back to tell him to go further in, all the while smiling up at him to convince him it was okay.

Ren came quickly, but was thankful for it. He could've scolded himself for being so out of practice or not being able to hold back, but he knew that this way Kyoko would likely be less sore. Before pulling out, he got back to work at making sure she got her release. When she did, he was relieved. It would've been almost criminal to cause her pain but not to show her the pleasure that came with it.

Kyoko thanked Ren with a chaste kiss on her lips. He could tell she was exhausted, as was he, so there was no hope for round two to happen that night. He figured that was better for her anyways. Slowly he pulled out, but he once again became worried as he saw blood. The worries built up again: was he too rough or should he have waited to get lube or was she not actually ready?

Seeing the horror on his face, and looking down to see what concerned him, Kyoko spoke up. "I'm fine, Corn. It doesn't hurt!"

"Are you sure?" Ren asked, not entirely convinced.

She nodded at him with a shy smile and moved to get under the covers. He got up to clean himself up and brought her a towel she could use for herself before climbing into bed with her.

"Mmm… Corn," Kyoko said rolling over. "If we're going to keep this a secret, what are we going to do with Victoria?"

"Victoria?" Ren asked, incredibly confused.

"Victoria!" Kyoko exclaimed, staring at the ring box now sitting on the nightstand.

It clicked: the ring's name was Victoria. He wondered if this had something to do with his proposal happening in London. "We'll figure it out in the morning," he said, pulling her towards his chest.

The moonlight shined into the dark room through the curtains, ushering the couple to sleep.

* * *

Ren woke up at around nine in the morning and immediately called for breakfast to be delivered. Immediate wasn't the best term, as the hotel informed him it would be cooked for them and therefore the wait would be an hour. He woke Kyoko up to inform her of this before he helped her to the shower. She insisted she didn't need the help, but he was still worried she would be sore, so he did it anyways.

Both agreed to keep the shower as innocent as a shower such as this could be, and focused on making each other presentable enough for no one to suspect what had happened. The time after they got out was spent combing hair and removing Kyoko's make-up from the day before. Julie had left both of them a change of clothes for the day, which Ren took advantage of. Julie would come to pick up last night's clothes after breakfast. To hide what she would consider his hideous treatment of her creations, he carefully put all the garments in their designated dress bags as best he could.

All morning he had bugged Kyoko with his constant questioning – asking if she was okay or too sore over and over and over. She continually reassured him, but didn't seem to make any headway. He only shut up when they went to meet Jelly because he knew this would be another aspect of their relationship to hide from Lory. If Lory wanted to know something, Jelly was sure to tell him. That meant that they needed to put masks back on. The ring was hidden safely in a pocket of Kyoko's purse. It must've worked – Jelly didn't ask any questions during her time with them, and sent them on their way to the premiere.

They got out of their limo together, but without thinking Ren grabbed her hand to help her out and didn't let go until one reporter pointed it out. Thankfully they were able to laugh it off. Ren and Kuu (who had met up with them shortly after their arrival) worked together to get Kyoko through the mingling crowd, noisy reporters, photographers, fans, and workers. All three managed to avoid Lory entirely somehow. They only saw him as they went to sit in the theatre, at which point Ren and Kyoko tried to keep a low profile while Kuu enthusiastically greeted him.

Julie pulled Kyoko into a private bathroom and began to inspect her, even daring to look down her dress and lift up her skirt. Kyoko froze, wondering what her mother could possibly be so worried about.

"Kyoko," Julie said tenderly, "Did Ren happen to do anything last night?"

Kyoko assumed that Julie had known, after all, Kuon said she had gone back to the room to pick up their clothes. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure by now you know he likes to give hickeys. Some of his old girlfriends would come out looking like leopards," Julie explained. "I was worried he was stupid enough to do that to you right before the fashion show."

Kyoko blushed. "No, I made sure he didn't."

Julie laughed, "As Kuu says, you are smart." She led Kyoko back to the theatre and left her in the seat beside Ren as they waited for the movie to start.

Kyoko watched the movie carefully, analyzing her performance while she admired the work of Kuu and Ren. She cried when Kuu's character died and smiled when her character met Ren's again at the end.

Ren watched Kyoko's reaction. Since he was in most of the scenes, he felt no need to watch them too carefully. At the end of the movie, however, he was so happy to see the reunion that he couldn't resist giving her a quick kiss. Of course, beforehand he made sure that Lory and Kuu were focused on the screen. He was reassured when he saw both crying – Lory dramatically and Kuu in fatherly pride.

Even after the movie, Kuu hugged his "children" and showered praise on them.

While Kyoko went back to her hotel to rest up for the rehearsals the next day, Ren left for the after party with his parents. They were sorry to part, but they knew they would see each other soon enough.

* * *

 **A/N:** Let's end that there. Not too much left to go in this story. Maybe one more chapter and an epilogue? We'll see what happens.


	14. Kuu's Surprise Announcement

**A/N:** So now they're engaged, but now they've got to navigate Kuu being an idiot, blocking their smooth transformation into a power couple.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Kuu's Surprise Announcement**

On the flight back from Japan, Ren encouraged Kyoko to tell Kanae about their engagement. They would address it with Maria together before the grateful party. Lory would find out if she was told any sooner. Thankfully Kuu was on a different flight due to a schedule conflict so he couldn't hear anything even mildly incriminating.

Today, November 19th, Kyoko met with Kanae at LME to tell her the news. She traveled with Kanae to Ren's apartment – the location they deemed safest – and tried to fend off Kanae's questions about their destination. Unfortunately Ren was already back to work in Japan, so he was out until the evening. Kyoko now had her own key to Ren's apartment, so she was able to get in by herself.

"Mo… How much did you really make off that American movie to afford a place like this?" She thanked her lucky stars that she had convinced Ren to take down the pictures of her photoshoots from his living room. She hadn't been so successful in other areas. They didn't dare replace the pictures with pictures of them together – Yashiro visited enough. Now the apartment was back to its expensive but unlived in look.

"This isn't mine, Moko-san," Kyoko said before disappearing to go put Victoria on. She could only wear Victoria in private, but she never wanted to take the ring off. It had become a habit to keep it in her purse and put it on the second she was behind her or Ren's door.

Kanae sat down, wondering where Kyoko had rushed off to or whose apartment they were in. It was certainly expensive, but it didn't have any character. Then it clicked – she had seen this place on TV before – this was the apartment of one Tsuruga Ren. She wondered why Kyoko had taken her to the house of her esteemed mentor instead of the Daruma-ya or a restaurant or even the LoveMe room. "Kyoko-chan?"

Suddenly her friend came back with what could only be described as a renewed sense of energy and hugged her.

Feeling a bit of an odd poke at her back from her friend's hand, Kanae pushed Kyoko back from her. "Kyoko," she said coldly. Kyoko prepared to bow to her friend in apology. Kanae studied her hands carefully even though it didn't take much effort to discover what caused the poke. "Mo- What's that on your finger?"

She watched as Kyoko looked down at her finger, almost forgetfully, before displaying a very bright smile. "Victoria!"

That didn't help Kanae out much. "Yes, and who gave you Victoria?"

"Corn!" Kyoko said happily. By now Kanae knew who Corn was, so she wasn't too worried that her friend was babbling incoherently.

"So you're engaged to Corn then?"

Kyoko nodded energetically.

"Since Corn isn't really a fairy prince, who are you really engaged to?" Moko's ability to see through Kyoko's fantasies was far above that of Ren, who just ended up playing along most of the time.

"Tsuruga-san," Kyoko responded.

"If you're engaged, why're you still calling him Tsuruga-san?" Kanae questioned.

Kyoko blushed, "We tried to call each other formally in front of anyone who knew Lory to prevent him from finding out that we were dating." There was no point in hiding that detail from Kanae, Kyoko figured. If she was coming clean about everything else, why not that as well?

"So you didn't trust me not to tell Lory?" Kanae sounded offended.

"No! No," Kyoko backpedaled, "Not at all, Moko-san!" She bowed to beg forgiveness. "But we knew Lory has ways of getting that sort of information out of anyone around him."

"Did you tell anybody?" Kanae raised an eyebrow and tapped her finger, waiting for an answer.

"No, although Mom – Julie – figured it out easily," Kyoko admitted. She now had to clarify which mom she was talking about. While Kyoko wasn't in the habit of calling her biological mother "mom," they had been getting closer, so Kanae would get confused without clarification.

Kanae felt a bit better about the situation, but wouldn't admit that. Instead she moved on to a topic she was sure would please Kyoko more. "So, how'd he propose?"

She watched as Kyoko dramatically explained with stars in her eyes.

* * *

Hours before Kuu's flight was scheduled to land in the wee hours of the morning on the 20th, he browsed his laptop looking for things to do. Sometimes he'd look at Julie's iCloud to see if she had taken any more beautiful pictures of herself, or if her newest modeling pictures were up on it. Because his laptop was often the only one Julie and Kuu brought on joint trips, her iCloud could easily be accessed on it. Kuu knew she wasn't careful about the automatic upload feature, so he tried to stay careful about what pictures he looked at. Tonight, though, he couldn't resist a few of these images she didn't intend for him to see.

A flash of pink next to a mop of gold hair caught his eye. He clicked on the photo, only to see Kuon kneeling down with a ring box. The pictures (and a single video) that followed showed the rest of the successful proposal. Kuu had never been so happy in his life, but he has also never been so angry in his life. How could his children keep their relationship from him? How could his beautiful wife keep this from him? He loved them enough to forgive them, but that didn't mean he wouldn't insist on being a part of every new development in this relationship.

* * *

Kyoko and Kanae kept talking long into the night about the proposal, her relationship with Ren, and ideas for her upcoming wedding. With all the lively chatter, they didn't hear the door open to signal the arrival of Ren.

Kanae saw him walk into the living room, but didn't warn Kyoko. After all, her friend hadn't warned her about her engagement, so why should she warn her friend. She held back a smirk as Ren's energy seemed to bring a genuine smile to his face. He stalked towards Kyoko, but the girl was still too busy chatting to notice her fiancé.

Kyoko squeaked as Ren picked her up and swung her around in a hug. "Hello, Kotonami-san," he greeted Kanae while holding her still squirming friend. He gently let Kyoko down back onto the floor.

"Good evening, Tsuruga-san," Kanae replied.

"Will you be staying the night? It's already past midnight," Ren asked both Kyoko and Kanae. "Or would you like me to drive you home?"

Kyoko looked towards Kanae, who spoke first. "I believe it would be better for us to return home for the night," she said. Kyoko looked a bit disappointed, but nodded her head. Kuu would be arriving tomorrow to promote the movie in Japan, so she would have to be rested.

* * *

Kuu's first event upon arriving in Japan was a solo interview on a morning show. Ren and Kyoko were both away at other jobs, so both would join the promo activities later. Nonetheless, he walked in with the swagger he was always known for and a brand new smile on his face. Of course the host, an old friend of Kuu's, had to bring that smile up.

"So, Hizuri-san, you seem pretty happy to be back in Japan," the host prompted.

"Not just to be back in Japan, but I also found out my sons were engaged!"

The audience didn't know whether to laugh or stare in horror. They stood confused. The host was initially taken aback, but began to unweave the implications of Kuu's statement.

"So your son – Hizuri Kuon – is marrying your other son?" The host knew there was an actress Kuu called his son, but couldn't come up with her name in his state of surprise.

"Exactly," Kuu said.

The name came to the host and he began to press further. "So when did Kuon-kun propose to Kyoko-chan? When's the wedding?"

"In London last week," Kuu explained. "So they still don't have a date." Suddenly he seemed surprised and quickly grabbed his buzzing phone out of his pocket. It was unprofessional, but he had a bad feeling about whatever he was texted so he picked it up right away.

"Shit. I probably shouldn't have said that," Kuu sighed under his breath as he put his phone away. "Kuon's pretty angry now," he laughed nervously. "He'll probably take her to elope so I can't even see the wedding at all! And this after he kept their relationship from me for so long!" He straightened himself up, just now realizing the possible (almost certain) negative implications of his impulsive revelation. He would be devastated to not go to their wedding. Hopefully Kyoko's cooler head would emerge victorious. If Ren had his way after this, Kuu was sure he wouldn't even know about the wedding until the paparazzi caught a wedding ring on Kyoko's finger – if they ever did.

"It seems then that your son is happy?" The host redirected the conversation.

"More than ever," Kuu laughed. "Although not with me right now!"

"Have you seen him at all since your anniversary party?"

"Once or twice," Kuu said. "But I've seen way too much of Tsuruga Ren!"

The host, thinking it was Kuu skillfully redirecting the conversation to his cast mate, took the bait to move further from the original topic. "He's back in Japan as well, isn't he? I'd bet he's disappointed Kyoko-chan's off the market."

"Yes, but no he's not disappointed. He's such a workaholic I doubt he cares," Kuu said. "So young and already married to his work." Kuu sighed at the suggestion.

"Truly, isn't he? He couldn't be here this morning because he's already started working on his new drama this morning," the host complained playfully.

"No worries – I'll see him this afternoon," Kuu quipped.

The host navigated the conversation to the movie's subject matter, but the damage of Kuu's appearance had already been done.

* * *

Kyoko had hardly walked onto set of her drama before an excited cast member approached her.

"Kyoko-chan! Is it true?" The girl asked. She was an idol making her acting debut, and was one of the few idols to be as energetic in real life as she was on stage. A few of their fellow actors and actresses along with several crew members gathered around them, trying to hear the answer.

Kyoko cocked her head to the side nervously. "Huh," was all she could get out of her mouth. She hadn't checked the news or her phone this morning because of how little time she'd had to memorize her lines.

"Is it true that you're engaged? To Hizuri Kuon-san?" A young boy, who played the idol's younger brother, asked her.

Kyoko's eyes went wide, wondering what the boy was saying. Their engagement couldn't have possibly gotten out. Then again, he did propose on a balcony… But if that was it, why hadn't there been headlines sooner? "W- what?"

"On a show this morning, Hizuri Kuu-san said you were engaged to Hizuri Kuon-san," the boy explained.

Kyoko blushed, bowed, and apologized to her cast mates before rushing off to her dressing room. She opened her phone to a torrent of text messages and missed calls, but ignored them to call Ren.

* * *

Ren was sitting through a boring read-through of another episode of his drama. He made sure to schedule a few Japanese projects this winter so that he could spend time with Kyoko before he would begin his next US project in the spring. While he was the main character in the drama, he did not have any lines: his character was a deaf college student. As a result, the read through primarily consisted of taking brief notes.

Suddenly, he felt his phone buzz. It was set to silent for everyone but Kyoko, so he knew who it was immediately. Yashiro was waiting around the periphery of the room with the various other managers present. Ren quietly pushed his chair back from the table, told Yashiro to stay put and take notes for him, and left the room to answer his phone.

"Kyoko," he answered the phone, not thinking to call her by her last name despite the risk of being overheard. He walked quickly to the most secluded place he could find in the building.

"We have a problem," she answered him. He thought of every possible scenario that could be happening. She was talking clearly, so she obviously wasn't dead or badly injured. They'd only slept together little more than a week before and they'd used protection, so she almost certainly wasn't pregnant. If she was, she probably wouldn't know. If she was able to call, she probably wasn't kidnapped.

Ren stayed silent, potential problems racing through his mind.

"Kuu found out we're engaged," Kyoko said. Ren choked.

"What?" Ren asked in a harsh whisper. He spoke in English, hoping anyone who might pass him couldn't speak English well enough.

"He said so in the interview this morning." Ren could practically hear the fear in Kyoko's voice.

Suddenly Ren had an urge to duct-tape his father's mouth shut in one of their later interviews. "Call Kotonami-san. If she's free, have her take you to my apartment after work," Ren said. "The shorter time you are somewhere the paparazzi can find you, the better. I'll do what I can during my interviews today to blow the news off."

"Be safe, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko apologized. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Ren said. "I'll talk to Dad." Even though he'd never tell Kyoko, he had asked her mother for permission to propose. He'd never asked her much more protective adoptive father. Somehow that had been the scarier prospect, and now he would have to face that fear.

Kyoko's voice came through the phone again, "I love you, Corn!"

"I love you too, princess," he said before hanging up. This wouldn't be a scandal that would be easily overshadowed, so they couldn't wait for it to blow over. Something would have to happen.

Yashiro burst out of the room with his papers. Apparently the read-through had ended early. "Ren! Why did you leave? Did you hear about Kyoko's engagement or something?"  
Ren glared at him, a result of the contempt he was feeling towards his father. Of course Yashiro would take it as Ren's reaction to Kyoko's engagement.

"I'm sorry, Ren," Yashiro said. "Lory sent me an e-mail about it, asking if I knew. Due to your schedule today, you can't see him, but he would like to see you tomorrow."

Ren stayed silent, leading Yashiro down the hall to the garage and out to the car.

"Are you really that sad about this? I'm sure you can find some way to steal Kyoko back," Yashiro said. A giant, threatening smile from Ren shut him up. A glare from Ren rarely meant anything, but one of those smiles was truly dangerous.

* * *

Kuu walked into his first interview of the day with Ren nervous as hell. Ren's presence brought a chill into the room despite the shining smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, Hizuri-san," Ren said with a predatory edge so subtle only someone who knew him well could recognize it.

"Good afternoon, Ren," Kuu responded in English. He moved to shut Yashiro and any assistants out of the dressing room. "I'm sorry about earlier," Kuu admitted, although Ren wondered if he really was sorry.

Ren's smile grew brighter. Kyoko would've been backing out of his way by now, but Kuu held his ground. "And how did you find out about that?"

"Your mother had the photos on her iCloud," Kuu said, as if it would explain anything.

"And why were you looking at that?" Ren wasn't sure he wanted to know. He knew Western celebrities liked to keep nudes on their computer, and he was willing to bet an entire year's worth of his earnings that his mother was in on that trend. Reminding himself of that fact, he wondered if he should've even asked.

"She was signed in on my computer, Kuon," Kuu said. Ren still didn't seem pleased with that explanation. "I didn't check who was signed in before opening the photo gallery."

Ren remained silent, forcing Kuu to further explain.

"And of course I was so excited that I had to tell the first person I talked to," Kuu stated, as if there was nothing wrong.

"I'm sure you made sure to keep the photos private," Ren suggested, although he wasn't entirely sure he believed it.

"Of course I did," Kuu rebuffed him. Ren grabbed his father's phone out of his pocket, guessed the passcode correctly (Kuon's birthday), and checked his photo gallery. Then he proceeded to delete every photo of the proposal Kuu had transferred from Julie's iCloud to his phone. Ren then handed the phone back to his father and opened the door.

"It will be nice to work with you today," Ren said in Japanese, smiled at Kuu, and left for his own dressing room to get ready.

During the interview, Kuu backtracked on his earlier statements and said it was a misunderstanding. Ren stayed calm and collected throughout, but kept a slightly less brilliant smile on his face.

* * *

Kanae drove Kyoko to Ren's apartment as soon as Kyoko was done filming that evening. She hadn't heard the news until Ren had called her and asked her to pick Kyoko up from work.

Despite her rising star in Japan, Kanae was only able to get a modest sedan, so driving into Ren's garage was rather intimidating. Even the guest spots she parked at seemed to be filled with luxury cars. She swore the attendant thought she was a nosy fan that shouldn't be there until he looked in and saw Kyoko in the passenger seat.

They made it up to Ren's apartment without any questions from the other residents they saw. Most of them seemed used to nosy paparazzi, and one Kanae even recognized to be a fellow LME talent. No wonder the building was so secure.

Kanae made herself at home on Ren's couch and motioned for Kyoko to sit next to her. She debated how much she could talk to Kyoko about the situation. When rumors about Kyoko and Kuon had first surfaced, Kanae had begun to suspect that Ren was Kuon. It wasn't a far stretch for her: Kyoko would never cheat on Ren or get that close to a man as quickly as she had apparently been rumored to have with Kuon. So Kanae looked at photos and articles to find more evidence. Ren and Kuon had so many similarities she wasn't sure how no one had figured it out before. They bore a striking resemblance minus hair and eye color. They shared a birthdate down to the year. Ren debuted shortly after Kuon disappeared. Both Kuon and Ren were the same height in comparison to Kyoko. Then there was the travel: Kuon seemed to show up in places Ren was, but they were never in the same room at the same time. That all but confirmed it for her. She needed Kyoko's word, but debated as to whether she should ask.

"I'm sorry about this, Moko-san!" Kyoko whined at her friend, performing a small bow to show her sincerity.

Kanae couldn't help herself any longer, so she asked the question. "Mo- Kyoko. Is Tsuruga's real name Kuon?"

Kyoko's eyes widened and she looked away from Kanae. Her mouth opened to deny the accusation, but Kanae knew her friend wouldn't lie to her. She took Kyoko's reaction to be a "yes."

"So you're engaged to both Kuon _and_ Ren?" Kanae asked to confirm.

"Yes," Kyoko said. As if that question reminded her, she scrambled to put Victoria on her finger. She appeared scared and on the verge of tears, as if she'd betrayed her fiancé.

"Mo… Don't worry! I won't tell anyone about it," unlike Kuu, Kanae mentally added.

"T- thanks, Moko-san," Kyoko said. Kanae sat and watched her friend, trying to figure out how to comfort her. In that respect, Kanae was still helpless. She sat silently, hoping Kyoko would cheer up.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open, breaking the silence. Ren stormed in followed by Yashiro, who was trying to calm him down.

"I get you're angry to lose Kyoko to Hizuri-san, but…," Yashiro shouted at Ren. Ren seemed not to notice Yashiro's rambling and instead walked right to Kyoko. He swept Kyoko off the couch, carried her over his shoulder, and carried her down the hall towards the bedrooms. Interestingly to Yashiro and Kanae, Kyoko hardly showed any signs of a struggle. Her squirming was entirely half-hearted and possibly only caused by the surprise of being picked up.

"Should we go get Kyoko?" Yashiro asked no one in particular.

"No," Kanae said. "Tsuruga wouldn't do anything to her."

Kyoko's phone began to buzz on the coffee table. Out of curiosity, Kanae picked it up and looked at the call log. Kyoko's phone showed that she had no less than ten missed calls and a flurry of texts. On top of calls from both Lory and Kuu, there were many from a single unknown number. From what Kyoko had told Kanae before, this was likely Fuwa Sho. All of the unread texts were from him as well. Kanae didn't dare look at them – she assumed they'd be desperate and otherwise terrible. What she could see of them was.

"Do you know what's going on? Why would Kyoko ever get engaged to Hizuri-san instead of Ren?" Kanae gathered Yashiro hadn't figured out the truth of Ren's identity.

"So no one's explained it to you?" Kanae returned. She tried to come up with a good story to tell Yashiro that would serve as a believable explanation.

"It's been explained to you?" Yashiro was incredulous that Kanae would know something about Ren before him.

"Yes," Kanae said. "Kyoko-chan's engaged to Tsuruga-san. Tsuruga-san is angry at Hizuri-san for saying otherwise because it makes both of them look bad."

"But then why would Hizuri-san say that Kyoko was engaged to Hizuri Kuon?"

"Maybe it was a misunderstanding of some sort," Kanae said, acting as if she was truly confused about it. She was confused about it, but not because of what Kuu thought. Rather, she was confused as to why Kuu would blurt out something like that. He had to know it wasn't a good PR move for his 'children.'

"Why didn't Ren tell me he was dating Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro whined.

As if he was summoned, Ren stalked into the room to grab a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass from his liquor cabinet, pausing their conversation temporarily. They watched him as he said nothing and returned to his room.

Kanae just as fed up about Yashiro and Lory's obsession with hooking up Ren and Kyoko that she finally snapped on the topic. "Why do you think, fanboy-san?" Kanae asked in a slinky, sexy tone to mock him.

"I mean, Lory would have just about exploded from happiness for them," Yashiro suggested.

"And you?"

"I would certainly be happy that Ren finally was able to express his emotions to Kyoko," Yashiro answered.

"Are you sure that's all?" Kanae asked, raising a single raised eyebrow to highlight her skepticism.

Yashiro gulped, but admitted nothing.

Kanae wasn't letting up on her attack. "I'm sure you would be very pleased."

"You're not wrong," Yashiro said defensively. "But I'm sure we're all happy the sexual tension between the two is over."

"Who's to say it's over? Those two seem the type to have an innocent relationship before marriage," Kanae suggested. She didn't even know the answer. Kyoko wouldn't tell her if or when she began to sleep with Ren. Honestly, Kanae hadn't felt any sexual tension between the two – only romantic tensions – so she doubted she'd notice any supposed difference there was. "Haven't you seen the two more recently together?" No, he hadn't, Kanae told herself. She wouldn't admit that.

"I haven't seen them since the premier," Yashiro said, "but the tension wasn't dripping off of them as it had. I thought it was just because of Kyoko's nervousness, but maybe it was something else."

Kanae sat and considered this. "Maybe you were just misinterpreting Ren's desire to propose to her, not to bring her to bed. After all, it's said men like to think with their groin. Maybe you thought Ren did the same as you?"

The stinging observations of Kanae cut off as her head turned to Ren's door. Yashiro walked slowly to the door, opening it to see what the cause of the commotion in the normally quiet apartment building was.

Outside were two men clamoring to get into the apartment. While Kuu was rattling the door handle, Lory was furiously searching for the apartment key on a massive key ring he kept for all of the company-owned apartments. It took them a minute to see that the door was opened, but when they did, Kuu rushed past Yashiro to get in. Lory was slightly more dignified. Kanae was surprised to see that Sebastian wasn't following. Kanae was prepared to greet Kuu and Lory with the proper respect, but their panic prevented any greetings she had.

"Kuon!" Kuu bellowed. Kanae didn't know if he was referring to Kyoko or Ren, but wouldn't have directed him either way. She watched as he began to look around for his son.

Lory put a hand on Kuu's shoulder. "I believe Kuu here would like to talk to Ren and Kyoko about what he said today," Lory explained. Kuu pouted a bit, something Kanae never expected to see from someone as famous as him. Then again, Kyoko had told her that he was an overly doting idiot father type.

"I'll go see if they would like to talk," Kanae offered. She didn't want Yashiro to walk in on whatever was going on in Ren's room – he would without a doubt take it the wrong way.

Kanae trudged past the sliding doors to the living room and down the hallway, trying to figure out where the master bedroom was. It happened to be the second one she opened. Inside, she found a scene that wasn't quite what she expected. She hadn't expected anything nearly as sexual as Yashiro would have, and to her relief she didn't see anything of that nature. Instead she found a scene much less romantic. Ren was lying on his back near the edge of his huge bed. One arm rested over his eyes while the other rested next to an open (but nearly full) bottle of whiskey on his nightstand. Kyoko was nowhere to be seen.

Ren groaned and sat up a bit. Kanae could see that he was ready to scold whoever came into the room, but he calmed down upon seeing it was her.

"Tsuruga-san," Kanae said politely, "Do you know where Kyoko went to?"

He flopped back onto his pillows. "She's in the bathroom," he grumbled. "Are Dad and Lory here?" Kanae was a bit surprised that Ren had guessed what was up right off the bat, but she knew he had more experience with their antics than almost anyone else, so she assumed he expected their arrival.

"Yes, they are," Kanae responded. She heard Ren groan again as he slowly got up off the bed and stretched as if preparing for a fight. Kanae decided to check on her friend before seeing what Ren would do to his uninvited guests. She went to the door that she assumed went to the bathroom and knocked.

"Ren?" Her friend's muffled voice came from beyond the door.

"It's Kanae," She replied.

"Come in, Moko-san! It's not locked," Kyoko enthusiastically invited her.

Kanae opened the door to see her friend soaking in a giant western-styled bathtub. The tub was filled with pink water and the surface of the water was covered in bubbles. Her clothes were neatly folded on a nearby counter. Awaiting her were fluffy pink towels monogramed in gold thread with her initials and a matching pink robe. Ren's towels – black with silver monogramming – hung nicely next to Kyoko's. Kanae wondered what this meant. She knew Kyoko had been staying at Ren's while in Japan when Lory worried about any scandal involving her, but that she was still living at the Daruma-ya. Maybe Kyoko stayed over at Ren's more than she realized?

"Moko-san," Kyoko called out, trying to get Kanae's attention. "Would you like to join me? Corn said this was a bath secret for faeries, so you'll definitely enjoy it!"

Kanae wondered what that meant. Maybe Kyoko was referring to the pink bubble bath or the bath bomb she saw a wrapper for in the trash can? It seemed Ren was the one to prepare this for her, probably to distract Kyoko from whatever mess would be happening in the living room. She couldn't blame him, but sometimes she wondered if she'd ever be as lucky as Kyoko. Sure, Kuon's past wasn't great, but he seemed to pride himself in behaving like Kyoko's fairy prince. Something about stealing Kyoko's fairy princess treatment felt wrong to Kanae, so she declined Kyoko's offer.

"I just wanted to check on you, Kyoko," she explained. "I have something to sort out, so I wanted to make sure you were okay first."

Kyoko pouted. "Some other time, Moko-san?"

"Maybe," Kanae replied. "Some time before the wedding?"

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically as Kanae left the bathroom quietly. She could hear Kyoko singing and humming songs about faeries from behind the door. Sometimes Kanae wondered if Kyoko would ever outgrow her fascination with fairies and princesses. She doubted it. The childish joy Kyoko brought to everything was one of the things Kanae found most endearing about the girl.

Upon returning to the living room, Kanae found herself in the middle of an ongoing standoff between Ren and Kuu. Lory appeared to be observing carefully, but wasn't going to intervene. Yashiro stared with a mix of horror and fascination. Kuu and Ren weren't saying anything, just staring intently at one another. Ren wore what Kanae was sure Kyoko would think was a horrifying smile; Kuu maintained a straight face. Neither noticed Kanae's entrance.

"So Hizuri-san," Ren said after what felt like an eternity. "I'm sure you understand that Kuon is entirely fine with my relationship with Kyoko? Perhaps you should tell someone that." Despite the bite in his tone, a smile remained plastered on his face. Kanae finally understood why Kyoko found this face so frightening. She wondered how many times fans and interviewers had thought Ren was enjoying himself when Ren was truly angry. "I'm sure you understand your statement will harm our reputations," he continued with more venom in his voice.

Kuu held his ground, not letting Ren's statements get to him. "Shouldn't a father be able to announce such joyous news?"

Ren's smile temporarily turned into a glare, but quickly returned. "Not if he wasn't supposed to know. Weren't the pictures only on Julie's computer?" Kanae could see he was trying hard to keep up the act of being unrelated to Kuu, probably because he didn't know Kanae knew. Kanae was relieved not to have to explain anything to Yashiro.

"Yes, but they were so beautiful. Why shouldn't I share them with the world?" Kanae could tell this was Kuu's rebuttal – trying to get Ren to blurt out something he didn't mean. Despite another quick drop in his smile, Ren didn't take the bait.

"And have you shared them?"

"With Lory," Kuu said. This time Ren's glare stayed a little longer.

"I would suggest you release a statement saying that Kyoko is engaged to Kuon," Ren replied. Kanae knew this was in the case that the pictures leaked, either accidentally or due to another bad move from Kuu. "But remind them that Kuon has no objections to my relationship with her." That was probably a desperate move on his part, Kanae concluded, to attempt to mitigate any damage resulting from his public interactions with Kyoko. They had, after all, reportedly kissed during the premiere. Kanae assumed that was Ren's fault. While Kyoko loved him, she certainly wouldn't be that bold.

Kanae saw Ren turn back towards his room, obviously too tired to want to deal with this situation beyond that. She wondered if his exit would send any kind of message to Kuu, but assumed it wouldn't. Kuu and Lory began to chat with each other, trying to figure out if they should follow Ren's orders or not. Kanae figured this would be a good time to go.

"Yashiro, I'm going to say bye to Kyoko, and then I'm driving you home. I doubt Ren will," Kanae directed. Yashiro nodded, clearly still trying to process how best to manage the situation. She left to walk back to Ren's bathroom. Upon opening the bedroom door, she saw a trail of clothes – the ones Ren had been wearing – leading to the bathroom. The door was ajar, but from inside she heard voices. They were in conversation – one between Kyoko and her fairy prince. Despite the innocence of the current situation, Kanae knew what an engaged couple sharing a bath often led to, and decided to leave. She could text Kyoko goodnight later.

* * *

Inside Ren's bath, Kyoko and Ren sat facing each other. Despite their mindless dialogue between Corn and Kyoko, both had something else on their mind. It wasn't the rumor going around that day – they would leave that to Lory and Kuu for now. Neither one wanted to spend any more time stressing about it when they were so busy.

Instead, both were thinking about what happened on the night of the proposal. They hadn't had time to even share a bed since then due to their busy schedules. While Kyoko got a week-long vacation in London, Ren ended up being busy. A designer in London didn't know Ren was in town until the premiere, but decided he _needed_ Ren to help him model clothing for his newest designs the second he laid eyes on Ren. That kept Ren from his vacation, so Kyoko was left to navigate the museums and boutiques alone.

During that week, she didn't want to keep Ren up late, so she had refrained from making any romantic advances towards him. Now, she wanted to make up for lost time, even if it was only for one night.

Ren thought these actions were because Kyoko was still sore from or freaked out about their first night together. While he wanted her, he didn't want to do anything while she seemed so uncomfortable. At least she hadn't been freaked out when he got into the bath with her.

By now, most of the bubbles were gone and the water was growing cold, so Kyoko decided to get out of the tub. First, though, she would see if Ren was up for anything more that night. She moved across the tub to sit directly on his lap and made a point to wiggle her hips on top of his. She kissed him sweetly before leaving the tub to towel herself off. She tried her best to imitate the other models she had seen drying themselves off the past summer at the swimsuit photoshoot. She knew her actions were indecent, but they had done this once, so she was already past all points of decency with him. When he didn't follow, she hung her towel off and walked into the bedroom, stark naked.

Once again Ren was shocked that she was so forward. He sat frozen in the water until she left the bathroom. He counted to three to cool off, but decided that he might as well take advantage of her offer. It would have been rude not to. When he entered his bedroom, the defeated look that had greeted him turned to a more seductive one as she saw that he hadn't made any attempt to dress. He quickly joined her on the bed and pulled her to him. He wondered what he had done to deserve Kyoko – his wonderful fairy princess.

* * *

 **A/N:** This may last a bit longer than I thought it would. So there's a few chapters left to write. That was a long chapter, so I've ended it there.


	15. A Surprising Reaction

**A/N:** The third grateful party in this story! Well, part of the chapter is…

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **A Suprising Reaction**

Kyoko entered the set of her new drama the next morning with answers to give. Ren showed her in the morning that her engagement to Kuon had been confirmed in the media by Kuu. While that meant she would have to be very careful to keep her senpai-kouhai act up with Ren in public, she could finally wear Victoria around everywhere she went, which made her happy. She was able to tell her cast mates about his romantic proposal in London and show them how wonderful Victoria was.

Off the set, paparazzi swarmed, asking her for questions and seeking pictures of the ring. They also seemed desperate to catch her with Ren. She was aware as they followed her to a café in a back alley by her mother's office.

Her mother had texted her when the news broke asking for a meeting. While their relationship wasn't as close as Kyoko's relationship with Julie, they had been getting closer. They met occasionally for lunch and her mother kept up with her work, leading to short text message conversations. Kyoko feared that she had ruined their relationship once again because she hadn't informed her mother about the engagement.

For once, Kyoko found herself to have arrived at the café before her mother. She waited anxiously for ten minutes while her anxieties about her mother stewed. She wondered if this was her mother's way of abandoning her again. Finally, her mother rushed in. Unlike her usual composed nature, she seemed sorry to be late. She looked around for Kyoko and sat across from her at a small table in the corner.

Kyoko avoided all eye contact, instead staring at the table. Her hands were clasped in her lap, hiding the ring from her mother.

"So I hear you're engaged now, Kyoko?" Her mother asked.

Kyoko responded with a soft nod. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She still didn't like calling Saena 'mom,' and she certainly wouldn't be able to in this situation.

"I'm surprised you didn't," Saena said. She paused as a waiter dropped off their drinks. Kyoko had ordered them before she arrived, in case Saena came.

As she watched her mother sip her coffee, Kyoko wondered if what Saena was thinking. Usually, she would think the worst, but today Saena had a small smile on her face. That confused Kyoko.

"You appear to have found a good husband," Saena said with just the slightest hint of jealousy in her voice.

Kyoko perked up at her mother's unexpected reaction.

"I'm sure he didn't tell you this, but before you went to London he came to meet with me," Saena said after another sip of coffee. "He explained your relationship, including his identity to me."

Kyoko looked at her mother, shocked that Ren would tell her. It was a sign that he really wanted her more than anyone. That warmed her heart more.

"It seems he's been treating you well," Saena said. "Although I am surprised you didn't move more quickly with the relationship. You have known each other for quite some time."

Kyoko wondered if that meant her mom had even grilled Ren about sex. She hoped not, but considering her mother's past and opinion of girls hopelessly in love, it was probably an important issue for her. Certainly it would help her mother judge a potential husband's character. Knowing her mother's history made Kyoko value her mother's opinion more in these matters.

"Have you discussed anything about the wedding yet?" Saena asked. She still kept a cold tone of voice, but her face was more relaxed than it used to be in meetings with Kyoko. Now her face showed a hint of warmth.

"No," Kyoko said, shaking her head. "But I'm sure Julie-san is already doing the work for us." To not alienate Saena, Kyoko called Julie by her name. Even so, Kyoko was almost certain that Saena knew.

"I'm just as sure you didn't ask her to," Saena said in one of her rare deadpan jokes.

They sat for only a short while longer chatting about Kyoko's current endeavors before the door to the quiet café opened. A few fellow patrons whispered, indicating the arrival of someone more famous than Kyoko. Immediately Kyoko knew who it was.

The man in question ordered a coffee to go before pulling up a chair next to them. "May I sit here?" Ren asked them as he pulled off his sunglasses and hat.

"O- of course, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko replied, feigning surprise.

"How are you today, Mogami-san?" Ren asked.

Kyoko opened her mouth to reply, but her mother was quicker. "I'm fine, thank you," Saena said. It occurred to Kyoko that Saena was likely the one he was asking; Kyoko had seen Ren already that day.

"Mogami-san, are you coming to the Grateful Party this year?" Ren followed up.

Kyoko hadn't asked her mother – she'd been too busy to send out invitations even though this would be the first year she intended to invite her mother. "Of course," Saena told him. "I received my invitation yesterday." It occurred to Kyoko that Maria had her guest list, so she'd likely sent them out.

"That's wonderful," he said. "It will be a pleasure to have you there." Kyoko could tell by his smile that he still wasn't a big fan of her mother, but he apparently wanted Saena to like him for Kyoko's sake. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Mogami-san, but Mogami-san," he said, indicating Kyoko to alleviate any confusion, "and I have to leave for our afternoon interviews."

She checked her watch, which told her she was almost late in leaving. "I'm so sorry for being late Tsuruga-san!" She bowed to him, back in the character of a kouhai. "I'm sorry I have to leave before we were done talking," Kyoko said as she bowed to her mother.

"When will you be back from America?" Her mother queried, "Since you're leaving tomorrow."

"On the 30th," Kyoko said.

"I will see what free time I have when you're back," Saena said.

"Have a good afternoon at work," Kyoko told her with one more bow. She left with Ren and met Yashiro outside by Ren's car to leave for work.

As soon as they got into the car, Kyoko looked at Ren. "Saena-san is wondering about the wedding," Kyoko said. "Has Mom said anything to you?"

Ren shook his head. "But I would assume she's planned everything out completely. I gave Mogami-san her e-mail if she had any concerns. Even if we have our own wedding, Mom will make us have one that is to her liking." Out of habit, he ran one hand through his hair to indicate his frustration.

Kyoko nodded. Both wanted a quiet fairytale wedding in the forest where they had first met with just close friends and family, but they both knew that wasn't what friends (Lory) and family (Julie) wanted, so they would likely have to settle.

Yashiro, having fended off the few paparazzi around the car, entered, effectively ending that conversation.

* * *

Their first interview was with an idol trying desperately to speak to them in English. Knowing Japanese promotion and talk shows, she was probably doing it for the entertainment of other idols and personalities watching her struggle from a remote studio. The second was a variety show where they got to be the heads reacting in a corner of the screen.

The last of the day was a much more serious interview on one of Japan's few western-style news programs. From watching Kuu and Ren on such programs she knew they would start off with light conversation on personal issues to make the interviewees relaxed before the more weighted questions about the movies started. Even so, the personal questions wouldn't be easy. Thankfully the media had gotten over relationship with her mother months ago. That was much more difficult to talk about than her engagement to Kuon. Ren would happily lie for her about that, while Kuu would share his excitement. She would probably be able to sit there and blush through the whole ordeal until the more serious questions started.

Sure enough, it was one of the first topics addressed.

"Mogami-san, yesterday Kuu broke the news that you were engaged to Hizuri Kuon, and your agency confirmed it today. No one knows where he is right now. How did you meet?" The host asked her.

"We actually met when I was a child. Whenever I'd get sad, I would go to a stream in the forest. Kuon actually appeared rather suddenly one day. With his hair and eye color I thought he was a fairy prince and he played along," Kyoko said, blushing. "We stuck up a friendship, but unfortunately he was only in town for a few weeks."

"How did you reconnect? I would assume he didn't give you any contact information then," The host pressed.

Kyoko stood frozen, trying to come up with an appropriate answer, but luckily Ren was ready with a lie. "Kuon and I are good friends. He told me about the girl who thought he was a fairy, and when I met Mogami-san she told me a similar story. After talking to him I confirmed they were talking about each other, so I put them into contact." The lie slipped off his tongue easily.

"Then how did you meet Kuon, Ren?"

"Kuon is still in contact with my boss, Takarada Lory-san. Lory tends to think nothing is coincidence, so when he saw that we shared a birthday and were both raised in America he thought it would be appropriate to put us into contact. I didn't meet him until the premiere in London due to our busy schedules, but we do text back and forth quite often," Ren explained.

"So then is that why he is okay that you are close with Mogami-san?" The host queried him.

"He knows I'm rather hopeless with women, despite my reputation," Ren joked with a healthy dose of self-deprecation. "Mogami-san is wonderful, but I could never get her with Kuon on her tail. She only sees me as her esteemed sempai, anyways." While it should've struck up a laugh, the pathetic expression on Ren's face evoked pity in the host.

The host still had one question. "If that's the case, why did you kiss her at the premiere?"

Finally, Kyoko was the one to lie. "He was going to kiss me on the cheek to congratulate me on my performance. When I saw him turn towards me, I turned towards him, and our lips touched!" The blush that had been fading returned to her face.

"Kuon made fun of me for that," Ren admitted. "He likes to think I'm the most boring man on Earth, so of course I would only cause an uproar by a mistake." That lie had come courtesy of Lory, not Kuon. He was genuinely surprised he had managed to convince Lory that the kiss was a mistake. Spur of the moment, yes; mistake, no.

"You sure Lory didn't say that," Kuu asked him. Of course he knew he had to protect Ren's identity, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take the chance to bring Lory into this.

"No," Ren quipped back.

"And the hand holding?" Kuu asked instead of the announcer this time with a false sense of outrage, perhaps to see what explanation they came up with this time. He liked trying to stupefy his son because he knew he never could, confirming his belief that his son was very clever.

"I grabbed his hand because I was nervous," Kyoko said.

"You do that a lot, don't you?" Kuu replied

"I think we all know you're over the moon about this, aren't you Kuu?"

"Of course," he said. "Wouldn't any father be happy to have his perfect son marry his perfect all-but-adopted daughter?"

"You were also the one to post the official proposal photos on social media," the announcer said. Kyoko and Ren both whipped around to view the monitor, which would show what was going on TV. Neither had heard of any official proposal photos, let alone given permission for their release.

One of the photos was the first one Kuu had seen: a view of Kuon kneeling in front of Kyoko, ring in hand. It was taken from behind such that his face was entirely obscured, but Kyoko's astonished face and most of her designer dress were entirely visible. The second photo was again taken from behind Kuon's back, but this time he was standing up and lifting Kyoko off the ground. Kyoko's face was visible above his shoulder. Tears stained her cheeks and a brilliant smile lit her face.

Thankfully Kyoko was next to Kuu, but not Ren. She shoved her face into his shoulder in embarrassment.

"Kyoko hasn't seen these yet," Kuu explained. "Julie didn't tell her she had photographers there. I doubt she told Kuon either – he would've flat out refused and forced them all out before any of the beautiful pictures could be taken."

"Has this affected any of your film promotion?" The announcer asked.

"No, work is work. But I have been trying to listen in on her nightly conversations with Kuon. He doesn't talk to me at all, only her," Kuu said indignantly. "He didn't even tell me he was in a relationship with Kyoko, let alone that he was proposing to her! He says he didn't want me to cancel promotional appearances to watch, but I doubt it."

"So would you say your relationship is distant?"

"Not as much as it once was, but he still doesn't talk to me much. My schedule keeps me too busy to find him myself and force him to talk," Kuu admitted.

The announcer proceeded to announce a commercial break, signaling the end to any silly conversation that Kyoko needed to be worried about. She knew enough about the film and her character to not be worried for those questions.

* * *

Upon arrival into America, fans of Kyoko were waiting at the airport. It was good that Ren had to be Kuon for flights, because it made for less questions when she squeaked and hid behind him. For his part, Kuon wore sunglasses and slicked his hair back to evoke Kuu, playing down any similarities to Ren. He altered his posture to one that was more similar to his younger self than Ren as well.

Luckily the airport was used to celebrity arrivals and kept the fans behind a barrier. Staff ushered them and their baggage out to a limo hired by the production company. Kuu arrived with the young couple, but waited back to soak up attention for his superfans that had shown up.

The limo brought them to a hotel, where they would have exactly one hour to get ready for the slew of promotion and interviews they would endure in the week they'd be in the US. Kyoko helped Ren dye his hair back to brown in her hotel room before both got dressed (separately) in their outfits for the day. In the lobby, producers worked to rush them to their interviews. The press junket had taken place in the UK for short interviews and the press conference, so the US was primarily TV appearances.

The ones in New York featured a mish mash of the cast. Sometimes it would be just Ren or Kuu, sometimes it would be Ren and Brent, and once it featured all four with the director. Of course, Kyoko was rarely asked anything other than about her relationship to Ren and Kuon. She was too shy to butt in on the answers of her costars, so she mostly sat next to them, looking pretty. A few times she was asked about the movie, but for the most part Brent butted in to answer those questions for her, particularly about the difficult scene.

In LA, the interviews featured all four members of the main cast. One show even had them play a game. While Kyoko and Ren had to guess the meaning of increasingly difficult words, Brent and Kuu had to do the same for Japanese words. The words started out easily enough, but quickly became words so obscure not even the native speakers of each language could tell the audience what they meant. Ren and Kyoko won out in the end, while Brent and Kuu were dropped into a ball pit.

* * *

The premiere happened in the middle of the interview schedule, so Kyoko had little time to dress herself and put make-up on. She would arrive with the Hizuri family while Ren was expected to take a separate car from his hotel. On the red carpet, they acted friendly, but avoided holding hands. After the movie was done, there was no kiss.

Kyoko hadn't attended the after party in anticipation of an interview she was doing the next morning. She didn't want to go into an interview in English on a short night of sleep. Kuu and Julie had explained that this interview would be about a lot more than the movie, but she wasn't afraid: she had to do what she could to promote herself. Kuu instilled that in her. Despite the crazy things this had led her to do, none of it had been a mistake so far.

She lay in her (well, Kuon's) bed at Kuu and Julie's house after a quick shower, steeling herself for the morning. She stared at the ceiling, waiting to fall asleep.

Around midnight, a knock on the door startled Kyoko. She knew the full-time assistant Kuu and Julie kept for their house was long gone for the day. Kuu and Julie had told her they wouldn't be back until one or two in the morning, but she hoped it was them saying goodnight after coming home early. She didn't know who else it could be. The door opened and Kyoko cowered under the covers.

"Kyoko?" Ren's deep voice cut through the darkness. Kyoko was relieved, almost more than if her parents were home. After ignoring him all night, she wanted to apologize. She watched as he pulled a pair of pajamas out of his drawer and began to change. As he got them on she realized they were the same as the pajamas she was wearing – a gift from Julie. She wondered if Julie had gotten them for the whole family. Ren climbed into bed and gave her a chaste kiss. Before she could kiss him back he had already fallen asleep.

She swore as she woke up once more in the night she heard Julie's voice on the other side of the door. "Kuuuu," she slurred. "Kuon's here! He's snuggling with Kyoko. They're wearing the matching pajamagrams I got them~" She heard a small scuffle outside. "I already took a picture." Kyoko got worried that that would end up somewhere.

"Well, would you like us to wear our matching pajamas?" Kuu giddily asked. Kyoko couldn't tell if he was as intoxicated as Julie, but she could tell he'd had a few drinks of his own.

"Or lack thereof?" Julie asked Kuu suggestively. Kyoko didn't want to hear any more of that conversation, so she hid under the covers and put a pillow over her head.

* * *

Kuu was making breakfast for Ren and Kyoko while the couple appeared dressed and ready to go for their interview beginning at eleven. It was then that Kyoko realized Ren's parents had always kept extra clothes for him at their house even though it was entirely unnecessary. Perhaps they knew instinctively that he would sneak in to be with Kyoko some time, or maybe they were hopeful that he would get lonely and come back to them one day.

On the kitchen's TV was an entirely composed Julie. As usual, she appeared perfect. Despite her heavy drinking the last night, she appeared awake, alert, and entirely sober. There weren't even signs of a hangover.

"It's her secret. We have no idea how she gets so drunk and then suffers no effects from it," Ren whispered to Kyoko. "I've always wondered if she drinks minimally but acts drunk to fit in at the parties while being able to gather gossip."

Kyoko nodded, watching the TV.

 _"_ _So, Julie, I've heard your son is getting married to your adopted daughter, Kyoko," the host mentioned. "I know your last design for her, that pink lingerie, was a huge hit. Will you be designing her wedding night ensemble as well?"_

 _"_ _Whether she wants me to or not," Julie said smoothly._

 _"_ _Will that be released to the public as well?"_

 _"_ _I don't think so. The original lingerie was designed to seduce my oblivious son. I think a woman is at her sexiest when she's most confident, but he'd ignored her advances when she acted confident. So I knew I had to up the sexy factor," Julie explained._

Kyoko wondered what that meant. She hadn't made sexual advances at Ren prior to the night they were engaged. Julie could tell a good story, and that's why she was well liked for talk shows, so Kyoko assumed that was what she was doing now.

 _"_ _So when I heard she was a model for Veronica's Stash, I asked if I could design something for her! It would have to be sexy with the brand and I could design something she'd feel confident in. Not to mention Kuon gets jealous easily. If he saw her in those clothes with thousands of other men watching he would certainly begin to see her in a more… romantic way."_

 _"_ _It seems to have worked!" The host said matter-of-factly._

 _"_ _Yeah! I even made her wear that lingerie set on the night I knew he'd propose. I designed the dress for her to match the lingerie for added effect."_

 _"_ _I mean this in the friendliest way possible, but I would not want to cross your path when you are trying to set up a relationship," the host informed her._

 _Julie sipped her mimosa confidently in response. "Well, I am at the very least good at making couples happen."_

Kuu laughed at that statement. "And yet it took her a while to get me! At least into bed."

Ren groaned, obviously not wanting to hear any jokes about his parents' sex life. He'd hardly touched his food.

"I know you know we've had sex Kuon. How do you think you came about?" Ren was sure his father was trying to rile him up, but refused to take the bait. He went to eating silently. If he focused more on his food his father would have no reason to expect a response.

They stayed that way the rest of the morning: Kuu baited Kuon for a response, Ren kept himself out of it, and Kyoko sat in the middle of things without a clue of what to do.

It only stopped when they got to the set of the first show they'd be on. This one would be just them. Brent was supposed to show up, but he had pulled out last minute due to "an unforeseen occurrence," or as Kuu called it "a massive hangover."

All three of them were crammed onto one couch after they awkwardly danced onto stage by request of the producers. The host asked the normal introductory questions about Ren, Kuu, and their recent lives. Ren's were always about his adjustment to acting in the US, while Kuu's asked about his wife or some story of a party long since passed. They then moved onto a short plug for the movie. The chats lasted a few minutes each, leaving little time for Kyoko to talk.

"And, Kyoko, someone's getting married. To Kuu's son no less," the host prompted instead of asking a question. The screen behind her displayed the now widely-shared pictures of Kuon's proposal. "So, to introduce you to the people who will be seeing a lot more pictures of you and Kuu's son shortly, we're going to play a trivia game." The host called up two members of the audience. One was teamed up with Ren while the other was teamed up with Kuu. She also introduced a prize – a trip for two to Hawaii.

After a shift in the set at the commercial break, Kyoko was seated on a plush chair next to the host. The teams stood at podiums with screens to show their answers. Kyoko gulped, wondering what they would ask. So far the show seemed lighthearted and fun, but there was still a chance they would ask tough questions about her past.

"Question 1. Where is Kyoko from in Japan?"

Both teams quickly wrote down 'Kyoto,' although only Ren bothered to write it in Japanese characters. They debated giving the point, but ultimately chose to do so.

"Question 2. This is a visual question. Look at the picture," Kyoko looked at the screen to see a picture of Natsu displayed. "What is the name Kyoko gave to the pendant she wore for this role?"

Ren's team began to discuss the question and quickly wrote down an answer. Kuu's team seemed to be at a loss.

"Princess Rosa," Ren's partner read when prompted.

"And what does Team Kuu have?" The host asked them.

"Rosa," Kuu said.

"Well, Kyoko, who's right?"

"Mr. Tsuruga's team. Father doesn't know there's a queen Rosa as well," Kyoko said.

"Queen Rosa?" The host asked.

"Mr. Tsuruga gave me Princess Rosa along with a large Queen Rosa rose," Kyoko explained as if it made any sense.

Ren opened his mouth to clarify, but the host moved on quickly.

"Question 3. What was the name of Kyoko's childhood crush?"

"Shotaro," Ren had written in a notably inelegant font.

"Kuon," Kuu proudly displayed. "My son."

"Really?" The host asked, sarcastically questioning him. She marked his answer wrong automatically. "Kyoko?"

"Well, his name was Kuon, but I didn't know that, so I called him Corn," Kyoko said.

"My answer's right then," Kuu pouted playfully.

"Well, you're not getting the point," the host joked back. "And neither are you," she said as she indicated Ren.

"Okay, well, we've reached the final question."

"This is a short quiz," Kuu chided her.

The host stared at Kuu as if he was an idiot. "Who is Kyoko's best friend?"

Without hesitation, Kuu began to write furiously. His partner whispered something to him.

"What was that?" The host quickly asked her.

"This question seems like a trap," the woman said. The host playfully put a finger on her lips, trying to make sure Kuu didn't catch on.

Ren remained thoughtful, but began to write a name down. His partner was silent.

"You done there, Ren?" Kuu said, impatient for his son's answer. Ren stood up and smiled confidently.

"Okay, Kuu, you're first," the host directed.

"Of course it's Ren over there!" Kuu seemed very confident. Kyoko was sure Kuu knew about Kanae, but maybe he hadn't understood that Kanae was so close to her.

"Nope," the host corrected easily. "Ren, I'm sure you know this."

"Kanae Kotonami," Ren responded.

The host declared Ren's team the winner and awarded the prize to his partner as Kuu pouted. The show went to a commercial break, signaling the end of their segment.

Outside the sound stage that served as the talk show's studio Kyoko was met by an executive from another network. He had apparently walked out of the network's nearby headquarters on his lunch break to find her. While Kuu and Ren had to leave for another talk show, he encouraged her to talk to the producer. Yashiro accompanied her at the request of Ren as they walked back to the network headquarters. There she was introduced to the producer of a prestigious news show on the network.

"It's nice to meet you, Kyoko," he greeted. "May we talk for a few minutes?" The producer looked to Yashiro, assuming he would know better.

Yashiro's English was certainly terrible, but he had gotten good enough at it to know what the man was asking. "She is free until 7pm," Yashiro explained with much effort.

They walked into one of the very large, clean offices Kyoko had found common in Hollywood. This one, however, had trinkets and travel guides all over the bookshelves. Several awards hung on the walls alongside signed posters.

"As I'm sure you understand, Kyoko, we do investigative reports and profiles of celebrities," the producer explained.

Kyoko nodded, wondering why they would have an interest in her.

"We have been looking to do a story or a profile of someone associated with the movie you are promoting to air around the awards season because there is so much buzz about the movie. Currently, we do not feel like Brent would be a good candidate. Kuu and most of the other well-known staff have been profiled to death," he laughed. "So we began to do a little research on you. There were a few articles in Japan alluding to your difficult childhood. We were wondering if you would be willing to be part of a profile discussing your past in more depth."

Kyoko froze. She had faced her past and her mother with much trepidation, but she still wasn't ready for it to make headlines in America. "W- why not Mr. Tsuruga?"

"There's already been an article about him published here. His past isn't interesting enough to fill an hour of programming," the producer explained.

Yashiro turned to Kyoko and began to speak to her in Japanese. "This might be a good opportunity, Kyoko-chan. The program is well-respected, even in Japan, so it will bring you good exposure. It might also be good to get the story out on a respected program rather than having it continue in the tabloids." This was why Lory trusted Yashiro to manage Ren – he had a good idea of how to manage a public image in a practical way. His other managerial skills were great, but a top star like Ren needed someone who understood things if Lory or the PR department couldn't get on it fast enough.

Kyoko nodded but stayed silent, staring at her lap.

"Well, Kyoko?" The producer prodded.

"If you can get my mother to participate, I will as well," Kyoko said. Yashiro had a point, but she didn't want to risk any progress she had made with her mother by telling her story on TV without her blessing.

"Can you provide me with any contact information?"

Kyoko wrote down an e-mail and the address of her mother's office and gave it to the producer. Yashiro made sure to ask her to make sure the program would contact her agency. Apparently they already had.

"Well, we will contact your agency with more details and a contract if your mother agrees," the producer said. "Filming will take place in Japan around New Year's."

Kyoko nodded in acknowledgement, but remained quiet.

The producer shook her hand and ushered her out of the office.

* * *

The last few interviews were all talk shows, and all went smoothly. As expected, little time was spent on her other than one or two questions about her engagement or her character. Soon enough she and Ren were on a plane back to Japan. Kuu remained in America with the promotion for the movie having been completed.

The next few weeks were filled with a return to normalcy after what felt like the busiest month of her life. When the Grateful Party came, she finally knew life was returning back to normal. There was still no news from the producers of the US news show.

Shortly after midnight came and went at the party and the celebration of Kyoko's birthday was complete, Kyoko and Ren went back to a sitting room in Lory's mansion. It was the very same one that Ren had confessed in only two years before. Following them were a small crowd of people who knew the couple well: Lory, Kanae, Yashiro, Sebastian, Jelly, the Taisho and his wife, and Saena. Maria had already gone to bed, so she was unable to come. Kuu and Julie were held back in the US by work.

"I'm sure you are wondering why you're back here, and I'm aware that many of you already know this," Ren said calmly. "Kyoko and I are engaged."

While Lory, Kanae, and Saena remained calm because they knew the truth, some of the other denizens of the room were much less composed. Sebastian's eyes had widened for a split second. Yashiro had a strange mix of confusion and excitement on his face. Jelly and the Daruma-ya couple were just confused.

Ren began to explain. "As my father has already announced, Kuon Hizuri is engaged to Kyoko. What he has not announced, and something that will not be announced until I am prepared to do so is my birth name," he paused, hoping some of what he had said would sink in. "Kyoko is engaged to me. I am Kuon Hizuri." Ren bowed deeply, waiting for someone to say something to stand back upright.

Yashiro, after getting over the shock of Ren's announcement, moved to hug the couple. "I knew you two would end up together in the end," Yashiro said.

The Taisho offered a grunt to Ren while his wife offered a warm congratulations and well wishes to the couple.

Jelly congratulated them from Lory's side, while Sebastian remained silent.

Yashiro was the only one to remain by the couple for a long time. After most of the guests had left the room to go home or return to the party, he began to reveal his true feelings. "I was sad when I found out that Kyoko was engaged to Kuon," he said. "I thought you two were dating, and I never thought she'd cheat on you, Ren. For a while I thought you might be Kuon since I never saw you two together at all, but I thought that was too far-fetched. Now that I know, though, I'm really happy. I've been rooting for you since Dark Moon!"

"Thank you, Yashiro," Ren replied, trying to get him to leave so he could take Kyoko home. He could tell Kyoko was close to falling asleep. "I believe we should be going soon," he said nodding in Kyoko's direction.

"Fair enough, but do you really think she's up for anything like that tonight?" Yashiro said slyly.

Ren gave Yashiro that beautiful, brilliant, deadly smile he had a tendency to give when angry and led Kyoko out to the main hall. As Yashiro watched, Ren gave Kyoko up to the Daruma-ya couple for the night. Ren did want to spend the night with her in his arms, but somehow his mischievous and spiteful old ways came back to him. Yes, there was nothing quite like the look on Yashiro's face when Ren didn't do what he wanted. Besides, what they hadn't told anyone but the Daruma-ya couple was that Kyoko would be moving out shortly. She should get to spend as much time as she wanted with the couple that helped her so much before moving out.

Ren's smile turned to a genuine one as he watched the trio leave the party for the night like a little happy family.

* * *

 **A/N:** That took a while. I think there's one or two to go.


	16. Planned Disclosures

**A/N:** This should be the last chapter (sans epilogue), unless it goes to long and I have to split it up. It will be relatively short, but I suppose that's better than the story never being finished?

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Planned Disclosures**

Kyoko heard from the American producer as soon as she awoke on her birthday. The producer informed her that she would be needed in Kyoto the next day for their profile of her. Kyoko began to freak out, worrying that she would clear her schedule, but low and behold Lory had already done it for her. In his hungover state he hadn't told her until she called in a panic. He sent her the details of her trip – a bullet train roundtrip ticket, a hotel reservation, and details of the meeting place for her interview. She hastily packed and ran to the station. Thankfully, she wasn't able to partake in a Christmas date with Ren due to his schedule, so she didn't have to cancel her plans with him.

Looking out the window of the train, Kyoko watched the scenery go by and reminisced about how much her life had changed since she left Kyoto. At one time, she would have been scared to go back and face her past, but now she was coming to terms with it.

The interviewer took her past many of the places where she had old and painful memories – the Fuwa's inn, where they had lunch during the bulk of the interview. As they walked past her elementary and middle schools, the interviewer pressed Kyoko for information on her hard work in an attempt to tease out the origins of her work ethic. Walking through a beautifully landscaped garden and along a creek similar to the one where she met Corn, they talked about her lack of positive personal relationships growing up.

To her surprise, Kyoko found much of this experience to be cathartic. Although the interviewer wasn't particularly sympathetic, Kyoko could tell she cared enough to do her story justice. That made it easier to spill the tough details of her relationship with Sho's family and her mother. It certainly did help that her mother's blessing had been given, but that didn't make Kyoko feel less guilty for telling her side of it. Nonetheless, the relief she felt at telling it made it worth the guilt.

It was only two months later she finally saw the finished piece on television. The woman who interviewed her narrated the story, telling the viewers of Kyoko's painful past and the sheer willpower she had used to get to the success she had today. Kyoko was shocked to see that a good portion of the piece was spent on her relationship she had with her mother. Voice altered and face hidden, her mother related the details of her work life and admitted that Kyoko was a child of that horrific life. The Fuwa's were interviewed, and praised her hard work, but didn't say anything about her rough school life. Some of her former classmates were interviewed as well. A few admitted jealousy, but many said they thought she was simply weird or unapproachable due to her determined attitude.

She began to cry when the piece was over. It was certainly hard to watch, but she knew that it would help her move on with her life. She could now move on to a new life with Kuon without wondering how her past would affect her image. Support flooded in over social media, and Julie began to forward tweets and articles about the piece to her to show that people supported her. Never had Kyoko felt more vulnerable, airing her past, but she had never felt more loved.

* * *

"Kyoko!" "Ren!" Reporters called out on either side of the red carpet, asking for interviews with the duo. They had shown up to the Academy Awards together. Ren had went to all the other awards shows alone, as Kyoko had obligations in Japan, but the Oscars were deemed too important to miss when their film was up for Best Picture. Their status as a couple while Kyoko and Kuon were engaged was still a hot topic, so their appearance together was drawing a lot of reporters' interest. Certainly it had helped boost the profile of both Ren and the film. Now he was nominated for Best Actor.

Every reporter got similar coy answers to their inquiries about the relationship between Ren and Kyoko. Ren knew he would be giving out the answer soon in a magazine, regardless of his win. At this point, he frankly didn't care what they had to say about their relationship. Kyoko had been snubbed for a nomination due to studio and award politics, so that was another hot topic for reporters. She was asked if she thought she should've been nominated or if she was disappointed. Kyoko tried hard not to sputter, and by the last reporter was able to explain that she was happy just to have gotten the role.

Inside, celebrities were almost pushier than the reporters. Many wanted pictures with Ren. He explained to Kyoko that they wanted a perceived connection with him to make them seem trendier to those on social media and therefore producers. Others drunkenly questioned their relationship or encouraged the two to kiss. A few came up for congratulations. Several producers came around to ask Ren if he would be willing to discuss roles the next week, to which Ren directed them back to Yashiro's phone number. Two even came up to discuss the TV profile they had seen Kyoko in, impressed, but without any further opportunities for Kyoko.

Kyoko watched in awe as award after award was handed out to stars and names she had only heard of in magazines. To her, those people were legendary – they may as well have not existed. Whenever her film's staff beat out those names, she felt once again as if this was all a big dream. It made more sense to her that none of this was real: the roles she'd gotten, Ren, the Hizuri family, LME, and her friends. So she sat, waiting to wake up once again, until a kiss on the cheek startled her back to reality. The reality where Ren had just won the award for his acting and she was watching in awe as he was the one to top those names she thought belonged to Gods and Goddesses.

It took him some time to return to his seat, but almost as soon as he did, their film was announced as Best Picture. This time it was Kuu who practically dragged her up to the stage. She looked out with stars in her eyes as the producers spoke to the crowd. Now she knew she was awake. This wouldn't even happen in her wildest dreams.

Instead of after parties, which Ren informed her he had long since sworn off of, Kyoko and Ren were dropped off at a lavish hotel. She looked around nervously. Apparently he hadn't cared about being seen, as they were dropped off at the main entrance. Of course, with most of the paparazzi at the ceremony and after parties, it wasn't likely any were there. Unless, of course, that hotel was also having an after party. That made Kyoko hide behind Ren, eager to avoid any possibilities of being caught. He led her to an elevator, inserted a key card, and punched a button.

At the top of the elevator, Kyoko found herself surrounded by a hallway with several sets of double doors dotting the walls. Ren opened a set and held the door for her to go in. Inside was a beautiful modern sitting room with huge windows seemingly taking up the entire wall providing a view of the city. The hotel concierge had left a personalized note for Ren along with a bottle of wine on ice and glasses with which to drink it.

Ren sat down on one of the sleek black couches, leading Kyoko to snuggle up to him. She craned her head up for a kiss, assuming he had been eager to sleep with her if he had brought her to the room so quickly. He didn't tilt his head down back to her. Kyoko, no longer afraid of rejection, reached her head further up to capture his lips. He was hesitant to respond, because he wanted to tell Kyoko his plans sooner rather than later, but he was convinced too easily. That lilac formfitting dress his mother had gotten into Kyoko had been bothering him all night. He could tell Kyoko later.

Though it was hard considering their positions on the couch, he managed to roll her over so she was straddling his lap. They continued kissing fervently, eager to spend the night together after so long apart. In his attempts to find the zipper of her dress he became frustrated and nearly ripped it off of her before she showed him where it had been cleverly hidden at her side. Sometimes he wondered if his mother intentionally put Kyoko in these complicated things to annoy him. Underneath always made up for it. While it was creepy that his mother seemingly knew his lingerie preferences, he appreciated her choices. If he could ignore those thoughts.

Kyoko's moan brought him back to his task at hand, and he was able to stay focused the rest of the night. Kyoko made him happier than any award win, and he would let her know that.

* * *

Ren woke up sore and tired in the bedroom of his suite. Last night had certainly been great, but it had also proven exceedingly tiring. As she had gotten more comfortable in her sexuality, Kyoko had become increasingly insatiable. After the first round on the couch, she insisted on a round against the large windows looking out at the city. When he asked her why, she muttered something about a Japanese actress telling her it was fun. It was, which led to a round in the bed. He didn't know how much longer he could go, so he was happy she fell asleep quickly.

He looked over to see Kyoko was waking up next to him and realized he had forgotten to discuss something very important with her the night before. Hurriedly, before Kyoko could get up, he grabbed the phone and ordered room service for breakfast.

"Ren," she said groggily, "Good morning!" He watched as her face stretched into a cute little smile. That was something he loved to wake up to every morning.

"Good morning," he said before giving her a kiss on the lips. "I ordered room service, so don't worry about getting out of bed. It should be here in half an hour or so."

She nodded, proud that he had thought to get breakfast. He'd certainly changed under her influence. Just like last night, she craned her neck up to give him a deep kiss, but he stopped her again. Thirty minutes was enough time to have sex with his beautiful fiancée, but he wouldn't let himself be distracted from his news for her again.

"I need to talk to you about something," he said.

Kyoko stared blankly and tilted her head. There was a trace of disappointment and rejection in her face, but it was nowhere near as obvious as it once had been.

"I can't do this any longer," he said. Kyoko's expression turned darker and he had realized his mistake in phrasing. "I can't hurt you any more by keeping my identity a secret. I'm ready to release my real name to the public."

Kyoko paused. "Don't do this for me alone, I've told you," she said, before his lips cut her off.

"As soon as I was nominated, I knew I was ready to release my name. I've proved to myself that I'm good enough. If I'm good enough to marry you, and getting nominated for an award my father never has for a role I got on my own merits," he explained, "I think I've moved past whatever demons haunted me in the past."

To his surprise, Kyoko smiled at him. She grabbed his face gently in her hands, looked into his eyes, and gave him the happiest look he'd seen on her face since the proposal. "Have you made plans for the reveal?"

"Yes. A week after we return to Japan tomorrow I've set up an interview with a magazine reporter," he said tentatively.

Kyoko leaped to hug him and begun to cry tears of pure joy. Initially shocked, Ren began to cry as well. The award was something he'd never imagined would come this soon, but this – having Kyoko love him like this – he wondered if it was a dream. If it was, he didn't want to wake up.

* * *

 **A/N –** So that was really short. There's a small chance this will be rewritten/extended eventually, but I'm about to become busy as hell, so who knows if I'll get to it.

The Epilogue will be posted today as well.


	17. Epilogue

**A/N:** Since this story was sprung from A Life in Headlines, I figured I'd do the epilogue in a similar manner to bring everything full circle.

I hope you enjoy and have enjoyed the full story!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat.

* * *

 **Kyoko Hizuri Lands a New Role**

January 14th

Los Angeles – Ren Tsuruga's wife, Kyoko Hizuri (24), has landed her first American role since her much lauded appearance in the best picture winner that launched Tsuruga to fame in the US. She has acted extensively in Japan the last four years, but her nationality has made it difficult for her to land roles in the states.

Today, HBO announced that she would be costarring in a new drama with former child star Kherington Rhodes. They will be playing roommates at a prestigious public university. Hizuri will be playing a naïve student from Japan that gets caught up in a major cheating scandal involving foreign students at the school. Rhodes will be playing the role of a wealthy girl who begins a downward spiral after realizing she is not as good as she thinks she is. The drama will begin filming in March.

This news might explain why Ren finally ditched his bachelor pad and bought a palace-like mansion near is parents last week. While previously the couple lived separately due to their work schedules, Kyoko's new role will allow her to live in the US with her husband.

* * *

 **A Hizuri Grandchild is Coming**

December 1st

Los Angeles – Kuu Hizuri again proved a leak when he posted a picture of himself at a baby goods store yesterday. Today, at the premiere of the third season of the hit HBO drama "Dorm," star Kyoko Hizuri (26) confirmed that she and her husband were expecting their first child in late spring.

Producers did not say how they would handle their pregnancy, although the show's creator said she would be open to including a pregnancy in the plot.

Shortly after the announcement Kuu and Julie posted their own announcement on social media: a picture of them holding up baby clothes decorated with the words: "GRANDKID #1." You can view that image and celebrity reactions on our page.

* * *

 **The First Hizuri Grandchild has Arrived!**

May 2nd

Kyoto – Today Kyoko Hizuri and Ren Tsuruga announced via their agency that their first child was born. At 2:40 AM Japan time Kyoko gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Setsuka. The couple say they will be staying in Japan until their schedules require them back in the US.

Kyoko has recently wrapped the fourth season of her HBO drama "Dorm," while Ren is set to begin filming his first big budget action movie this summer.

Despite the parents' wishes to keep their child's life private and out of the acting world until she becomes an adult, Julie Hizuri has already posted a picture of the happy family together at the hospital.

Congrats to the new parents!

* * *

 **Kyoko has her Second Child**

August 8th

Kyoto – A little more than two years after the birth of their first child, Kyoko Hizuri and Ren Tsuruga welcomed their second child to the family. Mom, Dad, and older sister Setsuka welcomed baby Ricky to the family.

The couple announced the birth through their agency, but again has requested privacy.

You won't have to wait long to see the couple again: Kyoko's second US film will be released in less than a month, and Ren is scheduled to act in three movies coming out this fall. As if the couple needed more to do right now!

* * *

 **A/N:** Umm… so that's the epilogue. Since I was bringing it full circle, I felt like it should discuss the birth of Kyoko and Ren's first child, as the first chapter of ALiH discussed the birth of Ren. I'd imagine Ren wouldn't want to bring their childen into the spotlight due to his struggles, so I wouldn't think there's many more articles to write about them.


End file.
